Three SOLDIERs and a Lady
by CrisisChild
Summary: AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.
1. Beginnings

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father.

**Rated: **K+, for mentions of death

**Prompt:** Beginnings

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**Author's Note:** And so I start on my pet project, an AU where Angeal gets to be a dad. Thought it would be a cute idea. Also thought it would be pretty cute if we dragged in Genesis and Sephiroth as well. They always say it takes a village to raise a child...I'm sure three SOLDIERs should do just fine...right? Right? Also...this would be more of random moments kind of fic, rather than a chronological order sort of...thing. I have no idea. XD It will also be part of a 100 themes challenge. Also...the beginning is set about two years before the beginning of Crisis Core. Angeal should be around 22-23 at this point.

**001. Beginnings**

"_From small beginnings come great things."_

It was just a simple mission.

Go to Wutai, locate some scientists for Shinra, escort them back to Midgar.

A simple mission; an easy mission. A second of even third class SOLDIER could have handled the job on their own. Hell, a couple of the army's infantry could have been able to see this assignment through without too much trouble.

It should have been just a simple mission.

Nowhere in the mission specs did they ever mention that the tragets in question would be bringing a child with them.

At the time, the area around Fort Tamblin was a warzone with gunfire going off every second, littered with screams and cries of agony as bodies hit the dirt. The two scientists had been kidnapped from their post where they had been examining possible sites for future mako reactors, along with some other Shinra employees and held for ransom. It had been his assignment to infiltrate the fort where they had been kept and rescue them. Getting in had been easy; the Wutai soldiers had been a sinch to dispatch as the 1st class SOLDIER made his way to the holding area.

Getting out had been no walk in the park, but Angeal had managed somehow, getting them all out of Fort Tamblin ithout getting killed. Infantrymen waited for them, ready to take the hostages out to safety, but Angeal's main objective refused to leave. Not when they realized that they were missing something.

A child. _Their_ child, who had been taken hostage with them. The very same child who had been used as leverage to keep them from escaping before help had arrived. The very same child whose life had been threatened time and again, if they did not cooperate.

The very same child they wished to go back for.

Angeal always considered himself to be quite a responsible and honorable man. And he always had a softspot for children, deep down inside. One of his dreams was to settle down and have a son or two with some woman who would become the love of his life, the way his mother had been to his father. And one of his pet peeves was the idea of a child bereft of parents or parents bereft of their only child.

So he had gone back with the scientists in tow, hoping they could possibly lead them back to the missing child who had been abducted at the same time as their parents. Angeal didn't have to. It wasn't part of his mission. But he would be damned if he left one innocent behind.

It had started out as such a simple mission.

**A-A-A-A-A-A-A**

"Hey, kid. How are you?"

* * *

"Still not saying a word, huh?"

It had been weeks—almost a month since the mission in Wutai...weeks since this child had been orphaned due to his carelessness and pride. Angeal had brought the kid back with him to Midgar along with the other hostages and put the young orphan into social services as quickly as possible following the funeral funded by Shinra. The child had an inheritance, of course, which would be held in trust until they were old enough to take it on. Until then, his young ward would be sent to live in a foster home. Of course, the process had been quite difficult for everyone involved—including Angeal—as child refused to leave his spot within the orphanage he had been temporarily placed in.

Today should have been the fifteenth interview for some foster parents for the child Angeal only knew as 'Seffie'.

From what tyhe social workers had said to him over the phone, Seffie had gotten into a fight with some of the other children—yet again—right in front of the potential foster parents that had come in to the Sector Eight Orphanage. The two adults had their reservations about being saddled with such a violent, troublesome child and had left without so much as a second look at Seffie. And then the child went had locked himself up in one of the rooms, refusing to come out.

And that was where Angeal came into the picture.

The dark-haired SOLDIER had been the one to send the child to this place and had checked up on him periodically during his stay, to see if he was adjusting to the changes in his life. Seeing the tiny thing huddled up in the corner of this dusty storage room told him otherwise, though the older man could understand exactly why.

The two of them sat together in the old room, Seffie huddled up on the floor, while Angeal had taken a seat on a crate filled with broken toys. The man observed the child next to him as they sat in silence together after their initial greetings (or Angeal's own, anyways, since Seffie had barely ever said a word since meeting abruptly in that Wutai holding cell a month ago), noting somet things in his mind as the silence carried.

Seffie was tiny for a boy his age, Angeal mused. His arms were small and scrawny and he imagined woudn't be much use for hard labor when he grew up, unless he trained himself to be stronger. And was he wearing the same clothes he had seen him in the other week? And the week before that? In fact...Angeal was quite sure Seffie had been wearing the exact same combination of t-shirt and shorts when he had rescued him and his parents. The boy had no lack of clothing he could wear during his stay at the home, but every time the SOLDIER came to call, Seffie would appear in these exact same set of clothes. He had to wonder if it was some sort of apathy that had set in the child since the death of his parents or if it was something else altogether.

"You know, Seffie...you just can't _do_ that anymore. I know you're doing it on purpose. Not talking...getting into fights," Angeal lightly admonished, looking seriously at the young child. "We're all doing this for you, you know. You can't stay here forever—not when people are willing to take you in. Not when everyone is doing their best to help you."

They had had this conversation at least a dozen times. It was one-sided, of course, since the dark haired boy barely ever said anything beyond an affirmative grunt or a negative sounding noise to his most probing of questions. Angeal wasn't sure it would ever amount to much of anything, but he always came back, feeling that Seffie being an orphan in the first place had been his responsibility and that he had to do the honorable thing and get the boy adopted or brought up in a loving foster home.

Seffie looked up at him with baleful blue eyes. Angeal raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on. We _are_ trying to help you, you know," Angeal said, reaching down to pull the kid onto his lap. Normally, the man wasn't for physical contact, but since it was just a little kid and no one else was around, it wouldn't matter, right? Seffie sat himself on top of Angeal's right thigh, looking up at the SOLDIER holding him and giving the man a strange sense of deja vu. Like he had seen this scene a million times before, even though this was the first time he and Seffie had ever been in such a situation. Now where had Angeal seen this before...?

A hand was raised and rested on top of Seffie's slightly long hair, moving slightly and ruffing the dark strands gently. The boy's blue eyes were reminiscent of his, when he had been younger, he thought. And this black hair...it was like his, too. Like his father's hair.

_Ah, that's what's familiar about this_, Angeal thought, looking down at the boy with something akin to distant fondness. His father had been a good man; a stern man with strong conviction and sense of honor. He had been someone who wholeheartedly loved his family and did everything he could to raise his one and only son and that had included not skimping on his punishments or lectures. Many a time had Angeal, in his youth, sat upon his father's knee, listening to go and on about dreams and honor as well as get chastised whenever he had done something wrong.

Angeal let out a small sigh.

"You know, Seffie...it's not always easy being a kid. And it's extra hard when you don't have parents. I remember what it was like...losing my dad, too," he began to say, continuing the motion of stroking the kid's head. Seffie tilted his head to the side curiously, young face full of curiosity. Angeal smiled and continuted on. "Every day since I lost him, I'd wake-up and thought about what we could do that day—getting wood from the forest together for the upcoming winter, maybe some sword practice or I could follow him to work as a hunter and we could catch a few hares together. But whenever I'd go see if he was in his room or in the yard, I wouldn't find him there and it would suddenly hit home that my dad wasn't around anymore."

Angeal remembered the funeral. It had been an irritatingly sunny summer day; a fifteen year old version of himself had actually cursed at the sun for being out and shining so brightly in a cloudless sky and he had done it so vehemently his mother actually had to wash his mouth out with soap. Only Angeal, his mother and an old friend of the family's—Professor Hollander—had been present for the funeral. He wished his best friend would have been there, too, but it wouldn't have been right to clal him on such a personal thing. Angeal hadn't cried that day and had not shed a tear the days that followed his final farewells to his father and it hadn't been weeks later did he cry at the injustice of it all.

"Do you remember the sword I had with me in Wutai?" Angeal asked the boy. Seffie nodded in response. He did recall the overly large sword on the SOLDIER's back that had never been used. Angeal had kicked punched his way out of the prison that had kept Seffie separated from his parents. "That sword was the one my father gave me...a sword he had worked hard to get for me, because I had made it into the SOLDIER program. It was...a sword of pride, honor and dreams, made from blood, sweat and tears."

Angeal remembered being away, at the time, being schooled in Midgar to become one of the best SOLDIERs there was. It had been his father's hope that he got a good education and became something other than a hunter, although, if Angeal had chosen the hunter's path he would have been proud of him anyways. The man treasured hard work and pride and honor in one's work, no matter the occupation. But still, the man only wanted what was best for Angeal and did everything in his power to make sure that his boy was on the straight and narrow and going through school without any trouble. Angeal had never appreciated how hard his father had worked, until he was told by his mother that he had died from illness and fatigue...that he did everything in order to _give_ everything for his only son. And that was how the Buster Sword had been passed down to Angeal.

"I had wanted to quit being in SOLDIER, you know, because I didn't want to leave my mother alone. She just slapped me once and said that was not what my dad would have wanted. Do you know why, Seffie?" Angeal looked down at the little boy who seem a tad misty eyed—probably from hearing this story—seeing him shake his head as an answer. He patted the kid's head to console him and whatever feelings were bubbling up from inside. "She told me that he would have wanted me to keep going. My mom said that my dad wouldn't have wanted me to quit and to keep on being a SOLDIER, because it had been my dream. And all dreams have to be honored."

Angeal smiled down at Seffie, who looked like he was ready to cry, his lips trembling as his whole body shook.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" the older man asked. Seffie nodded, sniffling and holding in tears rather bravely as all six year old boys always tried to do. The gruff SOLDIER's face softened up at the sight of the kid holding it in and shook his head. "It's okay to cry, Seffie. You miss your dad, don't you? You don't have to keep it in. We're all here to help you. _I'm_ here to—"

Faster then a Gold Chocobo, quicker than a Midgar Zoloom, the dark haired boy on his lap had thrown his slim little arms around the SOLDIER's neck and cried. Cried and cried and cried right into his sweater, grasping at the fabric and clinging hard as he let out his bottled up emotions.

"—help," Angeal finished, just allowing the boy to shed his tears. It was awkward, because he had never actually dealt with the tears of a child himself, but he knew that this was the only course of action he could have taken with the reclusive orphan boy. He patted his head gently. "It's okay, Seffie. We'll get through this together, okay?"

"I...I....I miss my mom!" Seffie cried, his voice slightly muffled by the fabric of Angeal's shirt. The man was surprised that the boy had spoken, but said nothing as he stammered on about his loss—something the poor kid hadn't had enough time to himself to mourn about. Everything had moved so quickly, so efficiently, so heartlessly—the tears of a lost child had barely been taken into consideration. Not even by the child himself. Just like him, all those years ago when his own father died. Right away, Angeal had tried to assume responsibility, had tried to be an adult for the sake of others without any regards to himself. A selfish and foolish thing to do, his mother had admonished.

And he had been lucky back then, to have had his dear mother with him still to comfort him and advise him as he needed. But this boy of whom he felt he was responsible for...who did he have? Angeal had checked, before taking the child into social services to be placed; Seffie had no living relatives to speak of. His grandparents had long passed away from disease and old age. His father had been an only child and his mother's siblings and cousins had all been killed during the Wutai War, having been residents of Wutai who actively fought against Shinra along with the rest of the nation.

Seffie was all alone.

"I want my daddy...I want my daddy...." Seffie chanted over and over into his shirt, tears still being soaked into the thick fabric. Angeal sighed and stroke the child's head.

"I know," he replied, "I know."

Angeal stayed with Seffie for hours in that dusty old storage room. The boy had shed enough tears to fill an ocean, while the male SOLDIER had endured it all silently and as supportively as possible. What Seffie needed was stability in such an uncertain time of his life; what the child needed was a guiding hand, but that could never be if he kept pushing people away. This behaviour reminded Angeal vaguely of someone else and _their_ own personal problems, but he pushed those thoughts away and concentrated on the boy who tired himself out from sobbing and wailing and crying.

The boy's pale cheeks and pert nose were reddened from being upset and Angeal had no doubt in his mind that the next time those blue eyes opened up again, they would also be red and quite puffy. The child had let out a month's worth of unshed grief, it would be understandable that he would be emotionally exhausted enough to just drop into unconsciousness.

But what to do about Seffie himself? The child proved that he wouldn't willingly go with just any pair of adults that walked into the orphanage. But he was truly troubled and needed someone there for him. Quiet, unobtrusive until provoked and utterly perplexing in his own right, the dark haired boy needed someone close who could coax him into action and back into living his life.

Not many would be able to do that, though.

Sighing, Angeal stood up from his perched on a crate, carrying the boy-child effortlessly in his arms. He carefully adjusted his hold so that Seffie rested in one of his arms, freeing one so he could open the door to the storage room.

Well, he had to take responsibility for him; Angeal was sure he could think of something.

It should be simple enough.

Of course, life was rarely ever so simple. And even someone like Angeal Hewley would have no idea what he would be getting himself into.

And this was how it all began.


	2. Middles

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **K+, for mentions of death

**Prompt:** Middles

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**002. Middles**

"_Once in a while, right in the middle of nowhere of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale."_

"Welcome, Commander Hewley. Please have a seat."

The tall man smiled at the woman sitting across the desk in this tiny little office in the Sector Eight Orphanage, closing the door behind him as he made his way to the wooden chair nearest to him. The old wood creaked as he sat down, back straight, hands on his knees as he leveled a calm stare at the person who would decide the fate of two people.

Today was the day he would bring Seffie home.

The adoption process took at least another two weeks since Angeal had put his plan into effect some time after the incident in the storage room. Two weeks, one very rigorous interview and exactly 10000 gil (the mizer in him could not believe all the outrageous fees he had to pay just to adopt _one_ child). But it was worth it, he had told himself over and over and over while his life was scrutinized under a microscope.

Angeal had almost lost the chance to take Seffie home with him, though.

Despite the surprising adoption fees sprung up on him, what had been the most difficult part of the adoption had been the interview with the social worker in charge of Seffie's case. A lot of personal inquiries had been made of the SOLDIER in order to discern if Angeal would be an ideal parent for young Seffie.

His income was quite sufficient and very steady; his home was spacious and very tidy. Neither of these aspects of Angeal's life had been put into question, although both he and the social worker had gone over them to properly satisfy all conditions on those fronts. As a SOLDIER First Class, his pay was rather handsome and was more than enough to support his very modest lifestyle. Shinra often supplied the higher ranked officers in SOLDIER with off-site apartments with all the comforts needed for any home; a luxury they rarely ever indulged in anyways, since they were either on missions or at Shinra HQ nearly around the clock. And it was that one detail that had almost cost the Banoran man the adoption.

"_While I do not doubt your character, Commander Hewley," the woman had said to him, "I'm not sure living with you would be conducive to Seffie's upbringing."_

A life living with the military wasn't an easy one and it certainly would be difficult for both him and the boy, but Angeal was convinced he would be able to properly care for the boy. The child seemed attached to him, enough for the SOLDIER to think that he wouldn't be aversed to being taken in by Angeal.

"_Children need the support of loving parents and you are single, as far as I know."_

Well, beign alone wasn't really Angeal's fault; he simply hadn't met the right woman yet and had always thought that he could have romance when he was ready for it. Although, with how busy he had become as he rose through the ranks of SOLDIER, the very idea of finding himself a wife—let alone a girlfriend—was far from his mind. They were at war, after all.

"_From what I understand, Seffie's parents had died in an explosion in the middle of a war zone...You are a SOLDIER—a part of Shinra's army, which is often dispatched on missions and into the battlefield quite often, if I am not mistaken..."_

She wasn't, Angeal had thought bitterly.

"_...how can you guarantee the livelihood, safety and care of your child if you are hardly ever or never home? A war orphan is not something you just pick up on a mere whim, Commander Hewley."_

No, one did not just decide on adoption just because one felt like having a child enter their life out of the blue. It was true that Angeal was often stretched for time, especially since before the incident in Wutai, the dark-haired man had signed up as a mentor to a budding Third Class SOLDIER, which meant yet another nightmare in scheduling his time. And it was true that he was alone with no mother to love and coddle his child, or to have his own. Angeal barely had anyone in his life, aside from his close friends and his dear old mother. Not even a kitten or a pup to keep Seffie company during lonely evenings where he would probably have to wait for him to come home.

However, while he could not offer these simple things every child needed, there was a difference between him and every other person who walked into the orphanage looking for children to take home with them.

Seffie _needed_ him. Him and no one else. The boy opened up to no one else, spoke to no one else and _looked_ at no one else. It was as if he had already decided who he would go to on his own, even if it was only a subconcious decision made by trauma—_go with what is familiar_. Experts say that when a soldier goes through some unspeakable mental trauma, their minds regress into a child-like state of mind, becoming simplistic and innocent in order to hide themselves from what was hurting them. But what of a child who had watch their parents die right before their eyes? It was all instinct to them already. Go with what you knew. And right now, Angeal was his world.

It was an egotistical way of thinking, but it held some merit.

"So, what's the verdict?" Angeal asked casually, pulling his mind back to the ever-moving present. The woman cleared her throat before straightening up in her seat, looking for all the world the prim and proper school marm, while also appearing like a judge straight from hell who was ready to set down a terrifying sentence. "If there's bad news, I'd rather hear it first."

The social worker pulled up Seffie's file from her draw, setting the surprisingly small folder on her desk. Inside that manila folder would be information like Seffie's birthdate, who his parents were, his bloodtype, allergies, vaccination papers, schooling—the works. Well, it would have been, had the boy not have been born and raised in Wutai. According to the Shinra database, there were no official records of 'Seffie' anywhere—not even linked to the employee files of his parents, who were scientists for Shinra's own science department. Any information they currently had was found out through inquiries to Seffie and a request for more information to the Wutai Embassy (which was't much, as they only sent them a copy of Seffie's birth records).

The folder was flipped open to the form Angeal had first filled out with a picture of Seffie clipped to the top of the first page. Steepling her fingers on the desk, the social worker began to speak.

"Well, if you're intent on it, Commander Hewley, I will stand and deliver," she said smoothly. Making a quiet 'ahem' at the back of her throat, she continued. "Commander Angeal...while you possess an impeccable character, you are one of the last people I would even consider allowing to adopt. You are single, which means that the child in question will not have enough attention to himself. And while your yearly income is quite considerable, the occupation in which you partake in rarely gives you enough free time for yourself, let alone time to raise a young child. A man of the military such as yourself might possibly be too detached to connect emotionally with Seffie."

A pause.

"Also, your job is quite hazardous and you could be lost to Seffie at any given moment."

The woman shifted in her chair as Angeal bore with these harsh words, sitting patiently and waiting for her to finish.

"These are the very things that leave children in the state of being orphaned or moved from foster home to foster home. Orphans are not neccessarily those who have no parents, Commander Hewley. Many children come here from neglectful, abusive homes and from families too poor to support them—"

"Slum children, right?" Angeal interjected, already knowing where things were going. The woman persed her lips at the interruption, but nodded in agreement.

"Exactly so. And we here seek to give each and every child a home they can go to, where they can grow up happy, healthy and loved. A place that can provide a bright future for them. And I worry that you cannot give Seffie what he needs in this current time and place."

Silence rang between the two adults as the female social worker allowed her words to hang in the air. She sat erect, prim and neat; he sat straight, his posture betraying slight agitation, but he stayed calm.

"Is that all?" Angeal asked, as a slow smile came onto the woman's features. The quiet of the office had begun to unnerve the SOLDIER a bit and if she would continue to refuse him the capacity to adopt, then he would rather speed up the process, so he could make his rebuttals. He really disliked bureaucracy.

"On that front, yes. Although you seem unsuitable, there isn't a set of foster parents ready to take in a child like Seffie. As such, that leaves us here at the orphanage and the social agency with very little options," the woman explained, unfolding her hands and starting to flip through the pages in the boy's file. "Which means that we will let you adopt young Seffie on a trial basis," she stated, watching as Angeal's expression changed only minuscully. The man seemed happier than when he had arrived into her office, looking more like he was about to engage enemy lines, rather than adopt a child.

But Angeal's guard was far from down.

"So, a trial basis? What exactly does that entail?"

"It means that we will allow Seffie to live with you for two weeks. During those two weeks a social worker will come to evaluate you twice. Once after the end of the first week to assess your home and how the child is faring. And another time at the end to do an overall evaluation. If by the end of two weeks and we find everything to our satisfaction, we will allow the permanent adoption of your child. However, shoul things turn out badly..."

Angeal pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to keep from frowning. "...You will place Seffie in the care of others, I'd take it?"

"Or he will grow up in this orphanage, should no one take him in. These are uncertain times, Commander, as you well know. And not everyone has the luxury of growing up in a family."

The woman pulled out one paper; it was a form that needed to be signed by Angeal. A sort of release form that allowed Angeal temporary guardianship of Seffie.

"In any case, are these terms agreeable?" she asked, holding out a pen as she pushed the form towards the SOLDIER on the other side of the desk.

Angeal stared at the offered pen, then nodded. He reached out to take the pen and the form, knowing this would be yet another step towards realizing his plans (and to some degree, his own wayward dreams of parenthood) and that there would be no turning back. As the pen slipped across the paper in practiced loops, the man knew there would be trials and hardships ahead of him that he never would have thought possible, but he knew that he would overcome.

Angeal was a just an honorable man and a stubborn one at that. Once he set his mind to something, there would be nothing else to convince him otherwise.

**A-A-A-A-A-A-A**

It was a fine day in Midgar—well, as fine as one could make it, of course. The sky was clear of clouds and was looking quite fair. The sun shone brightly down that afternoon as a boy followed his temporary guardian to a car parked outside an orphanage. The child look aprehensively at the old, beat-up vehicle, most likely havig expected something more...stable looking. The car that Angeal drove looked like it had been through better days and seemed to be a mesh of pieces from other cars and haphazardly welded together with a torch to create the semblance of an automobile. Seffie jumped when the exhaust made a rather loud noise.

"It's alright, Seffie. It's not going to bite," Angeal said comfortingly as he stacked the few bags of belongings the child had into the trunk. Closing it with a slam, he gesture for the boy to take a seat in the back so they could get going.

This was it—the start of a new life for the two of them. If all went well, Seffie would be able to stay with him and Angeal could have that long-off dream of being a father figure to someone who was actually under the age of majority. While the cadets in SOLDIER were endearing in their own way (and that was stretching the truth quite a bit, with the exception of one particular young man), there was nothing like a truly young and innocent mind to mold. This would be a responsibility that he would relish and treasure as long as he lived. This was an unseen boon and Angeal felt all the more glad with each passing moment that he had made the decision to adopt.

And Angeal had always wanted a son.

The ride to Angeal's apartment was quiet and a tad strained as young Seffie barely said a word in the car. The boy really look uncomfortable inside of his vehicle and the older male wondered if this behaviour stemmed from an old trauma he didn't know about. He wondered what else he didn't know about the mysterious boy. Oh, Angeal knew enough to tend to the child's basic needs; allergies, his education, room and board, who was his immediate family and such. But what was his favorite food? What kind of games did he like? Was the boy the type who needed constant affection? What did he fear when the lights went out at night?

_Well, I suppose I'll have to learn all those things, little by little,_ Angeal thought. _Just like how Seffie will have to learn to adjust to his new life, too._

Angeal frowned a bit.

_Just what was Seffie short for?_

Angeal knew Seffie's original last name easily enough, since it was obviously his parents' last name. As for his first name, his parents—while they had still been alive—had referred to their boy as 'Seffie' and it was something the child responded to easily when called thus by others. But he was sure it was a nickname, it was a hunch Angeal had and he always trusted his gut. 'Seffie' just wasn't a name you'd seriously give for a boy; a name given out of affection, for sure, but not as a first name.

_I'll have to look into it later. Seffie's mother was Wutai, so she filled out the birth certificate entirely in Wutai..._

The apartment complex rented out by Shinra in the upperplate was located in Sector Seven, right on the edge of Sector Eight. While offsite from the main headquarters of Shinra and SOLDIER to give high ranked officers (and select executives) some privacy, it was close enough in case of emergencies within the Shinra Building itself.

Angeal's own home was located on the seventh floor of the apartment complex; it had three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a balcony that had a breathtaking view of the city—not that the SOLDIER had the time to enjoy it that much. Being up so high though, he would encourage Seffie not to venture too close to the railing, just in case the construction was faulty and he wounded up falling to his death. And on that train of thought, perhaps he should mention not jumping up and down while on the balcony, in case the cement holding it onto the side of the building had weakened over the years since the apartment's construction and he could, once again, fall to his untimely doom. Or maybe he should just avoid have Seffie go on the balcony altogether...

The man chuckled at himself. Only a few hours in to temporary parenthood and he was already acting neurotic. Vaguely, he wondered if his own parents had been so worried when he had been a small child, exploring every nook and cranny Banora had to offer in places most likely to get his neck broken. Having Genesis around didn't help matters much either, since the upper class boy had always managed to convince Angeal into doing all sorts of mischief.

Speaking of Genesis, Angeal was going to have to tell Genesis and Sephiroth exactly why he had been leaving his office earlier than usual every day for the last couple of weeks. While it wasn't as if he was cutting hours at work (Angeal actually stayed behind late to get a jump on work for the next day and to see if Zack needed anything from him), but since starting the adoption process he had gone to the orphanage every day for two weeks to spend time with his future son. Correction, Seffie was as good as his son now, no matter what social services said. But his two friends would have to be told eventually, Angeal thought, as he often left while giving vague excuses.

He wondered how they would react to this sudden turn of events.

_Genesis hates kids, unfortunately,_ Angeal mused sadly, remembering an incident with some children visiting Shinra HQ for a fieldtrip almost a year ago. The ginger-haired SOLDIER would never look at a toddler the same way again and Genesis had already a small dislike of children since before the incident. And as for Sephiroth, he was something of a wildcard. His reactions would vary quite a bit. It could go from simple indifference or feeling betrayal (although why the man would feel betrayed that Angeal had taken a young boy into his life, he couldn't fathom). _Sephiroth will just be...Sephiroth._

Seffie looked around his new home with wide, curious eyes, surprised to see the apartment in much better shape than Angeal's junk heap of a car. As the man had promised the social worker, the place was well in order and quite clean; perfectly habitable. While nothing fancy, the apartment was far from bare as photos hung on the walls and healthy, leafy green plants occupied corners and tables, giving the rooms a nice, cozy feel. The boy's own room was rather empty though, having been cleaned out of several boxes and old knick knacks to give him some personal space. There was a cot and a dresser in the boy's room and he was told he could do as he pleased with it.

The child explored the rooms slowly and carefully, with Angeal watching as he put the black haired boy's things away. The SOLDIER observed Seffie as he took everything in, as if studying the place he was to live for the rest of his life. There wasn't anything he didn't look at, Angeal mused, a tiny smile appearing on his face as the inquisitive boy took in his home. The boy tested the bounciness of his bed in his room and had felt the grain of the wood that made up his dresser before starting at the rushed sky blue paint job of the walls. Seffie inspected all of the plants that littered his home, smiling at the ones who were in bloom and frowning when a withered, brown leaf would break off when he touched it (which earned Angeal what the man thought to have been the child's attempt at a _glare_).

The boy, having taken his shoes off, delighted in the soft carpet under his feet as he wiggled his toes. Having been born and raised in Wutai during war time, Angeal surmised that Seffie was used to tatami mats and cold, industrial flooring. The kitchen was briefly looked at, if only to discern where things were and then the child zoomed in on the office (where all of Angeal's junk had been moved) and then Angeal's barely used bedroom. Seffie had some reserves about going in there, but Angeal had quietly assured the boy with a soft nod that he would be allowed to enter. Once again, the man was treated to the sight of the boy bouncing around on a bed, although it was on a king sized bed, rather than a little cot.

The final room to be explored was the bathroom where Angeal had also made a little spot where Seffie could hang up his own towels and place his toothbrush and other little things he would use inside the 'porcelaine throne room'.

After all the exploring, Seffie came back to the living room where Angeal waited for him patiently.

"So, do I pass inspection?" the man asked the boy, who was looking much better now. In the early times he had known Seffie, the child had rarely smiled and since openign up to him that rare event was slowly becoming commonplace once again. The child nodded enthusiastically to his question.

"Yes, Mister—"

"_Angeal,_" the self-same man corrected.

"Sorry, Angeal," Seffie amended, blushing sheepishly at his mistake. They had managed, over the span of two weeks, had gone from Seffie's original polite 'Mister Hewley' to 'Mister Angeal' and then 'Angeal'. The older male had hoped that his surrogate son would eventually feel comfortable with calling him 'dad' one day, but would not push the issue much until he was comfortable with calling him by his first name, at least. While they had a two-week trial, there was no need to rush things that would come on its own. "I like it. You have a nice home. The plants are pretty."

"I'm glad you like it then," Angeal said, a bit warmed by the compliment to his home. As an afterthought, he reached out and ruffled the boy's hair in what he thought was somewhat affectionate, but had to stop when he felt the _grease_ touch his fingers. What in the world?

Puzzled by Angeal pulling his hand away in a gesture that practically showed his disgust (the man inwardly winced when he realized too little, too late what he had done), Seffie looked up quizzically, little hands wringing the hem of his shirt. The _same shirt_ he had worn _two weeks ago_...

No way.

"Seffie...I'm afraid to ask this, but...when was the last time you took a bath...?"

Silence.

"Umm...before mommy and daddy's wake."

More silence.

Angeal stared down at the boy.

The boy stared back.

This did not bode well. At all. How could the orphanage allow the boy to go on without so much as a bath in over a month?! It just went against all good sense to allow a child to live in such filth! Oh, sure, Seffie looked clean enough and he certainly didn't smell like he had missed a month's worth of baths, but as long as the boy was going to be _his_ son he was going to be as clean as possible!

"You are taking a bath. And we are going to get rid of those clothes," Angeal deadpanned, knowing he was going to regret those words. He couldn't stand the idea of wearing the same unwashed clothing for days when he could help it. While in the battlefield, there as little one could do about one's appearance and hygiene, but when you're a civilian living life in the city, you'd better damn well keep yourself clean! Angeal shivered at the thought of all the germs crawling through the boy's heavily used clothing.

As predicted, Seffie did not take the sudden order well, but not in the way he had expected.

The boy clutched at his shirt, shaking his head, eyes close to shedding tears. He shook his head vigorously.

"Seffie, you need to take a bath and the only way to do that is to take your clothes off..." Angeal explained, wondering if this sudden regression in behaviour had to do with fears Angeal had yet to discover. "And those clothes need to be..."

"No!" The child seemed really upset at the idea of a bath.

"Seffie...you _need_ a bath," Angeal said evenly, wondering where the pleasant beginning of their relationship had gone. He hoped that these sorts of outbursts wouldn't be a regular occurrence, because he didn't like seeing Seffie suddenly go from calm child to trapped animal, his body trembling terribly as he hugged himself. Angeal had to try to do something, perhaps compromise with him? Compromises always worked with him when his parents wanted him to do something... "Seffie...you do understand me, right? It's just a bath...if you're afraid of something in the water..."

"Not afraid of water."

"What?"

"Not afraid of water," Seffie repeated.

Angeal raised a brow at this statement, but went with this. If he could get to the bottom of this, he was willing to ask a few more questions.

"Then what are you afraid of?"

The child mumbled lowly, barely enough to be heard, even with mako-enhanced abilities.

"What did you say, Seffie?"

"...don't wanna..."

"'Don't want to' what, Seffie?

"...Mommy..."

"Mommy...?"

"...Mommy gave this to..."

And then it clicked.

Seffie wasn't afraid of water or taking baths or anything like that—what had truly upset the boy into near-tears was that Angeal had said he would throw away Seffie's dirty clothing. The dirty clothing that, apparently, had been given to the boy by his _mother_. The older male wasn't sure what made the t-shirt and shorts more special than any opther article of clothing that the child owned, but now Angeal understood why Seffie was reacting so badly and he could rectify his mistake.

_Hurdle one; crossed,_ Angeal thought wearily. _And a million more to go. No one said parenthood would be easy._

Crouching in front of the sniffling, he took Seffie by the shoulders and pulled him close, muttering his apologies for being an insensitive jerk and that they weren't going to get rid of his clothes. Just send them out for washing, because they were dirty.

"I'm sorry. I should have realized sooner," Angeal said, giving the kid some space so he could wipe his eyes 'discreetly'. While the First Class SOLDIER might have been a little clueless about children (which was something he only realized belatedly), but even he rememebred what it was like to have to be 'brave' in front of an adult. "I'll put your clothes away, alright? We'll get them washed and then you can wear them again."

"O-okay," Seffie sniffled, not at all mortified that Angeal could see him cry a little. A few tears had escaped the boy's blue eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Not really thinking about it, Angeal reached forward and gently wiped them away. "Do I still have to take a bath?"

Angeal laughed at this. Despite what had happened and what he had learned, it would seem that all children didn't like to take their baths. Ruffling up the kid's dark hair, the man stood up, hands on his lips. "Yes, you do, Seffie. You really do need to get clean."

Seffie pouted, but nodded in ascent, heading towards the bathroom. The boy's steps faltered a bit along the way and he turned back to look up at the adult who had taken him in. Seffie worried his lower lip with his teeth, words caught on his tongue as he held his surrogate father's gaze. Then, he bowed low, a practice common in Wutai; he must have picked this habit up from his mother.

"I'm sorry about earlier...Papa Angeal," he apologized quickly. And like a nimble Nibel Wolf, Seffie dashed off into the bathroom as Angeal stood in the living room, somewhat stunned at what the child had said and done.

_Papa Angeal._

_Papa _**Angeal**_._

**Papa** _Angeal._

These were, but two simple words. And yet they made the SOLDIER feel inexplicably happy to hear them. There was a growing warmth in his heart that spread from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, a sort of 'fuzzy feeling' one associates with kittens and puppies that was usually never mentioned within the same breath as himself two months ago.

Then again, two months ago, he had never expected to become a father.

With his keen senses, he could hear the sounds of a bathtub being filled with hot water, some steam escaping the bathroom through a crack in the door. Seffie seemed to be starting his bath on his own, but wanting to be there for his child, Angeal decided to enter the room after collecting himself. The tub was half filled and was decidedly devoid of any bubbles (Angeal secretly had a stash of bubble bath soap and he'd always imagined playing with his future children in the tub filled with bubbles) and the boy was testing the water with his hand. He had already disrobed, shirt and shorts folded neatly in a pile next to his foot, his back turned to the adult male behind him.

A mischievous thought entered Angeal's mind as Seffie didn't seem to notice his entrance. Tiptoeing in, he swooped in and snatched the boy into his arms, swinging him up as the child shrieked and giggled. Catching him up in his arms, Angeal looked down at his son's smiling face when he noticed something quite peculiar.

Mako-enhanced eyes blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

"Ah...Seffie? May I ask you something?"

"Yes, Papa Angeal?"

"Seffie is a nickname, right?"

"Yes, mommy gave it to me. Daddy gave my my name."

"I see. And...what is Seffie short for?"

"Short for...?"

"What's your full name? Do you know it?"

"Mmmhmm."

Silence.

"So....what is it?" Angeal asked, trying to coax the answer he wated out of his adopted child.

"Persephone," the child answered, smiling ever so innocently. Noticing the somewhat downtrodden look on _her_ new father's face, Persephone Hewley could only wonder what was getting the man down. "Is something wrong, Papa Angeal?" Snapping out of it, the man shook his head at her as he set her back down into the waiting tub. Angeal needed something to drink when the day was done...

"Nothing...nothing at all, Seffie...er..._Persephone_."

And so went the first day between father and daughter.


	3. Ends

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **K

**Prompt:** Ends

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**003. Ends**

"_All's well that ends well."_

It was time.

After weeks of leaving work early, missing phone calls and mails and re-scheduling training sessions with his rather newly acquired student (seriously, first the puppy two months ago and then a little _kitten_), it was finally time for Angeal to bite the proverbial bullet.

Today, he would allow Genesis and Sephiroth to meet his daughter.

Persephone—the SOLDIER had forced himself to call her that to reaffirm in his mind that his adopted child was indeed female and not a boy (which disappointed Angeal for all of two minutes, before he embraced the idea that he had a little girl all his own to take care of)—had adjusted to living with Angeal after a few days. It was awkward and slow going at first, because the ft felt the need to ask permission to do or use anything. Barring his weapons and equipment (that Angeal kept locked up in his room away from young hands like the responsible adult he was), the man constantly had to remind his daughter she could do whatever she wished, as long as it was within reason. No playing with dangerous appliances, no balancing on the balcony railing and anything else along those lines.

But Angeal had to suppose that it was a good sign; Persephone already knew how to respect the space she lived in and that he was in charge of their home. Angeal just hoped—_wished_—that Persephone would feel more at home with him. It was only a matter of time, of course, but the man worried they wouldn't have much of it left, if this shy behaviour kept up. Their first trial week was nearly over.

Since bringing the girl-child home, Angeal had taken his surrogate daughter to work with him every day, until he could make better arrangements. He had already managed to get his girl—thinking of Persephone as _his_ always made Angeal tingle slightly—enrolled in one of Shinra's academies, but term didn't start for another month and a half. Angeal wasn't familiar with any babysitter services that catered to SOLDIERs and the daycare in the Shinra Building had an age limit of four years old; Persephone was six. Angeal really had no choice.

One had to wonder if it was fortuitous that both Genesis and Sephiroth had been dispatched on missions the day after he officially took Persephone under this wing. Genesis had been gone at least a week prior to investigate a sudden monster infestation near Banora; Angeal would have gladly helped or taken over for his friend, but other matters had kept the dark haired SOLDIER away at the time. As for Sephiroth, he had been called off to Wutai for a quick and, hopefully, non-violent conference between himself and the leaders of Wutai. Whether or not the talks would be successful, the general was scheduled to return some time that day.

Genesis and Sephiroth were quite important to Angeal; they were the brotehrs that he never had. Genesis had always been his well-meaning, yet spoilt and brash 'older brother' who lasted anyone in his way and asked questions later; Sephiroth was his quiet 'little brother', of whom he felt utterly protective over, due to how he was treated by the media, the douche the science department dared to call a doctor and just for the fact that he was younger than Angeal by a few months.

Angeal cared about his two best friends and it was because he cared so much he wouldn't hide the fact that he was now a father. Not that he would keep Persephone a secret, but Angeal would rather be the one to tell his friends, instead of them having to find out from a third party. Mainly because Genesis tended to freak out easily whenever he was left out of a loop and Sephiroth would feel betrayed and hurt that Angeal had never said a word about the adoption, even though he would never say a word about it and acted as if everything was alright. They would be happy for him, of course, but the feelings of distrust would be there.

And damn Angeal to hell if he ever did that to his _family_.

It had been interesting to introduce Persephone to some of the personnel in SOLDIER. Especially when both Angeal and Persephone had met with Lazard to talk about the girl's temporary visits to Shinra Headquarters. Actually, it had been more along the lines of hilarious and a tad relieving; Angeal found some solace in the fact that he hadn't been the only one to mistake little Persephone's gender.

"_Well, Commander Hewley, as long as he doesn't interfere in your duties," _the director said,_ "I do not forsee any problems with allowing your son to accompany you to work." _The SOLDIER director was smiling quite kindly at both father and daughter from behind his desk. The blond man shifted his gaze solely onto Persephone. _"And as for you, young Seffie, I hope to see you in the future as a possible recruit for our organization. I'm sure you'll do your father proud."_

The director must have thought that the child would grow up to be a SOLDIER like his father before him, or, at least, entertained dreams of making it into the SOLDIER program as many youths coming to Midgar did. Angeal actually had to fight to keep his face straight while Lazard spoke to Persephone, privately wondering whether or not he should tell the executive about his error...

In the end, he did. Right when Lazard was taking a sip of his morning coffee. While there had been no spit take on the director's part, his surprised expression as he tried not to choke on his straming hot drink (and embarrassment) had bene priceless.

Graciously, Angeal said, "_Sorry for the confusion. Everyone's made the same mistake._"

Lazard told him to buy his daughter some gender appropriate clothes, while wiping his chin of some coffee with a handkerchief, otherwise, he had stated, everyone was going to think Persephone was a boy, even when told otherwise. She was quite the androgynous child.

"Papa Angeal!" a tiny voice called Angeal.

The SOLDIER was pulled out of his thoughts by his one and only daughter, who stood on her toes as she peered at him by the side of his desk in his office. Randomly, he mused over how tiny she was for her age—were all children so small and fragile looking?

"Yes, Persephone?" he asked, casting his eyes back on the computer screen and on his unfinished work. Shifting his glance just slightly, he took notice that it was just a little but past noon. Perhaps, she was getting hungry?

"May I please go to the bathroom?" the girl asked.

Angeal was slowly typing away at his report as he replied. "Do you remember where it is?"

Persephoen nodded. "Yes, Papa Angeal," she answerred dutifully, trying to sound assured as possible. The little girl had gotten lost a few times in the offices on the SOLDIER floor, but eventually memorized the locations of most of the rooms. Although, sometimes, the little girl really did need an adult to lead her around, otherwise she would accidentally wind up in places she shouldnt' be. "May I go?"

Angeal grunted in assent and the girl quickly scampered off in urgency, just as his phone rang.

Checking the caller ID, the dark haired man saw that it was Sephiroth. Flipping open his handheld, Angeal quickly read the mail that had been sent to him (with a copy to Genesis).

**A and G,**

**Returned from assignment. Same time, same place?**

**S.**

Angeal considered the mail, knowing what it meant, despite its cryptic briefness. Sephiroth had finished his misison in Wutai and wanted to meet his two commanders in the virtual reality room after lunch. Most likely so they could catch up in relative privacy before he was debriefed.

_Perfect_, he thought, _assuming Genesis is already back from Banora, I can bring up the topic of Persephone to the both of them before introducing her._

Satisfied with this turn of events, Angeal mailed back his response before setting back to work on his report.

As Angeal immersed himself in his work, meanwhile, a little lady was returning from the bathroom, only to take a wrong turn down an identical corridor and settling into the wrong office...

**G-G-G-G-G-G-G**

It was not a well-known fact, but Genesis really did not like children. He did not like how they were loud, noise, grabby little hellions who got in his way and interrupted his viewings of Loveless whenever he deemed to watch the day showing, instead of the late night presentation. He did not like it when they would decide to cling to the edge of his coat, especially when their figners were sticky with substances best left unnamed. He did not like it when they shrieked and screamed for their neglectful, idiotic parents.

Genesis and children just did not mix.

Oh, he would behave in front of them, because as a high ranked member of SOLDIER and hopefully the future face of the army—he did dream of being a hero, after all—and, sometimes, being so important meant playing an overglorified babysitter occasionally to the young cadets and students attending the Shinra Military Academy. Genesis was the very essence of calm, good-humored charm—right until something irreparable happened to his personally belongings.

As far as he was concerned, he was glad that secretary wasn't working for Sephiroth anymore. He suspected that she was a part of the Silver Elite and the same person who kept leaking secrets about her former boss to her fellow club members. Although the rumors she had spread about him after she had quit had been slightly detrimental to his image, but nothing a few weeks of lying low didn't cure. The worst thing a man in his position could do was to give the fans more fuel to add to the proverbial fire.

The ginger haired man had returned from a mission in Banora the other night and had practically crashed at his apartment the moment he had finished his report about it. The trip going back to Midgar, from Banora had been long and one that he had been forced to travel alone, since the men he had taken were immediately reassign to stay behind while he returned. By the time the SOLDIER First Class had set foot on Midgar concrete he had been ready to sleep for a few days straight, never mind contacting his friends about his return to the city.

_Not that Sephiroth could have done a thing about it_, Genesis thought as he strolled through the building, headed towards the offices of the SOLDIER officers. _As far as I know, he shouldn't be getting back until later today. And as for Angeal..._

Genesis frowned.

And as for Angeal, who knew what his childhood friend was up to? Ever since that rescue mission in Wutai over a month ago, there had been some slight changes in the man Genesis had known nearly all of his life. For one, he no longer stayed behind late into the night, pouring over reports and future lesson plans he had either with the cadets or his own student. Secondly, whenever he or Sephiroth would call upon the black-haired man for some late night training sessions in the VR room on the SOLDIER floor, Angeal would say he was busy and be off doing Minerva only knew what.

This behaviour was odd for the honorable man who had deep loyalty and devotion for his friends. While it may be excusable from time to time (they were SOLDIERs, after all and it wasn't as if they had enough spare time to be lounging in the VR room all the time), but to do it for weeks straight? Something was up and today, Genesis was going to get to the bottom of it. If there was one sure thing in this world, it was that Angeal was terrible at keeping secrets from him and he would wring the truth from his friend!

The man had some suspicions, of course. Like, perhaps, Angeal had managed something that neither Sephiroth and Genesis had been able to do and that was to finally find a girl to settle down with. Not that Genesis was looking to settle down just yet (and Sephiroth seemed sort of apathetic to the idea of women in general), but Angeal _had_ been the one with dreams of a family with that one special lady, amongst many other things. And if it was a lady, then the SOLDIER in red was sure to get all the details and demand to meet the mystery lady that had caught his best friend's heart.

It was some time after noon when Genesis received the same text that Angeal had, asking them about meeting Sephiroth later at the VR room, as he arrived at his office. He stopped a moment outside the door to send his reply before entering, mind now on what he wanted for lunch before meeting his friends and confronting Angeal about his sudden change in behaviour. If it was indeed a lady, then he wanted to meet the one who could steal Angeal's devotion away so completely.

There was most likely a mountain of paperwork awaiting the First Class, sitting ever so innocently on his desk and waiting to be looked over and signed. He was not looking forward to it at all, but it had to be done. But once he cleared them, Genesis promised to indulge himself in a new book for a job well done. Perhaps that new book he had seen last month about Materia Mythology. Yes, that would be good, he thought. He needed something new to suppliment his Loveless readings.

The door to his office opened softly for him, a faint hissing could be heard as the door slid open, then closed shut behind him. The room was rather spare, void of anything that could give away anything of his personality, likes or dislikes and whatever else a crazy fangirl posing as a secretary could get her hands on and sell on the internet for thousands of gil. That secretary incident had really turned him off to the idea of someone taking care of his paperwork, or hanging around his personal affects while he was away, although he had to pay for it by doing his own dirty work. But, in his mind, it had bene worth the extra amount of papers he had to go through every day.

He had the standard desk with a terminal, some shelves lined up with some books and report binders from the last six months or so stacked on them for perusal. Behind his desk was a wide view of Midgar, the windows spanning from the ceiling to the carpeted floor; his office was positioned right where he could see the sun rise and set on the cityscape below him, although he often missed those moments in favor of more worthwhile activities. He had a pair of couches surrounding a coffee table off to one corner, where he either lounged during the day, reading or sat down to talk with Sephiroth and Angeal to discuss work or life. Normally, his office was empty, but today, there sat someone, waiting patiently on one of his couches.

Since he only sat the back of the person's head, he thought it _might_ have been Angeal, due to the black hair he saw, but once he got a few steps closer he noticed that it was impossible. One, Angeal's hair was much longer than this person's hair. Two, this person was by far a tinier thing than the burly, rough looking SOLDIER who hd grown up with him in Banora. And third, Genesis was pretty sure that this was a lost little _girl_ in his office.

Although her hair was shorter than the average length of the female child's style he usually saw in the city and the pair of shorts coupled with the one-size-too-big shirt she wore did nothing to flatter her, only a blind man would mistake the child sitting on his couch to be a boy. Little did he know that he had insulted nearly half of SOLDIER with that one thought. She was quite androgynous enough to be mistaken for a boy, that was for sure, but Genesis was quite certain he was looking at a little lady. A little lady that was in _his_ office, sitting on _his_ couch.

Well, that just wouldn't do.

Putting on a charming face, he slowly walked up towards the girl and leaned into her field of vision, taking a private pleasure in how she squeaked and jumped in her seat at the sight of him. Smiling, Genesis crouched in front of the girl, appearing for all the world as a friendly SOLDIER out to help a lost child back to her parent.

_Whoever left their kid in here is going to get it_, he vowed.

"Well, hello there, little girl," Genesis greeted smoothly. "And what are you doing here?"

**A-A-A-A-A-A-A**

"Where is she?"

It had been over twenty minutes since Persephone had left for the bathroom and not returned. The girl was prone to get lost and the young father in Angeal worried to death about the child wandering into places where she shouldn't be. He sincerely hoped she hadn't accidentally found her way into the VR room again, by herself. That was one mess he did not want to relive.

Angeal could barely keep his eyes on the computer screen in front of him as his fingers hovered over the keyboard, the report staying unfinished as his mind affected his work. Willing his hands to move, he typed out each letter one by one, in agonizingly slow taps. It took everything in the SOLDIER not to stare at he clock and wonder where his little daughter had gone, hoping she was merely having indegestion (Angeal's priorities were a tad mixed up due to his deep concern) and had not gone off somewhere on her own

Or worse, get kidnapped right under his nose.

Heaving a sigh, Angeal rubbed his face as he mentally chanted over and over that Persephone was fine and would find her way back to him and that he was being worried over absolutely nothing. He should get back to work so he could finish his reports, so he could keep his promise to Lazard that the presence of his daughter would not affect his work and so he could go meet his friends sooner and so he could tell them about his daughter who was still gone—and dear Minerva, no one told him being a father would make him want to pull his hair out with worry. Perhaps he had been naive in thinking everything would turn out alright and be all sunshine and daisies, but there was no turning back now. Persephone was his responsibility and his daughter now—his _family_. Blood or not.

_Genesis will be the bad role model of an uncle I'm sure he will be and Sephiroth will be the much too practical uncle, who Persephone will do everything in her power to hide from_, Angeal thought, already imagining the bad scenarios he would have to endure. _Genesis will most likely teach her things wrong on purpose and Sephiroth, in his misguided kindness, will only confuse her more when rectifying what Genesis has done_

Another heavy sigh escaped Angeal's lips as a small headache came on.

All this excessive worrying was not conducive to his health.

_Alright, five more minutes and if she isn't back by then, I'll go look for her._

The next five minutes proved to be the most agonizing the SOLDIER had ever experienced as he heard the wall clock slowly tick the seconds away, before the man would allow himself to go in search of his wayward daughter. Knowing he could leave his office in five minutes, Angeal became uncharacteristically distracted, something that was becoming more and more common ever since Persephone had become an official part of his life. The little girl brought out emotions and behaviours in him that he rarely ever experienced and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing just yet.

Angeal liked to think it was on the good side, though. Be as optimistic as possible, while keeping a real outlook. Example: he was beginning to really care for his daughter, but knew that she would be giving him early grey hair in no time flat.

One minute went by.

He typed a few more words.

Two minutes went by.

He fiddled with the straps of his uniform.

Three minutes went by.

He stared at the clock, counting the seconds under his breath.

Four minutes went by.

He sighed and started pacing the room.

Five minutes went by.

He had enough.

Twenty-five minutes had passed since the girl had left the safety of his office for the bathroom, which was twenty-five minutes too long. He could take the next hour or so off and finish his report later once Persephone was back by his side (and possibly tethered to his desk); he head some searching to do.

Angeal shut-off the monitor of his computer before leaving his desk, ignoring the incessant ringing in his pocket as he started looking around the SOLDIER floor, asking anyone who might have seen her down there. While the dark haired man did that, Sephiroth frowned from where he was some floors below, staring at the screen of his handheld, wondering why Angeal wasn't picking up his phone. He was already on his way to the Virtual Reality room, but wanted to confirm his friend's presence verbally, hence why he had called in the first place.

"Angeal..."

**P-G-P-G-P-G-P**

Persephone was a little bit perplexed as to the man in red standing before her. He wore a nice, friendly face for her and spoke cheerfully to her, in a manner that wouldn't be threatening or scary. The girl still did not open her mouth to say anything though. Papa Angeal said that it was alright to talk to the SOLDIERs that she had been introduced to, but she was explicitly forbidden to talk to strangers, if she could help it. And if she saw someone particularly strange, she should run away and find the nearest patrolling SOLDIER or Public Safety officer.

The girl felt a little creeped out when the man before her said 'little girl'. It sounded a little weird the way he said it, like he was being insincere and had some scary ulterior motive.

"My name is Genesis, kid. What are you doing here?" he asked, introducing himself to her. He had repeated his question again, in the hopes she would reveal the reason why she was in his office. The First Class, all the while appearing as the perfect gentleman, was thinking about who this child could belong to amongst the staff of Shinra, based on her looks. She had dark hair, which narrowed it down, somewhat, with familiar blue eyes that he couldn't quite put his finger on where he had seen them before. Well, they had a slight aqua tint to them, but still...Genesis was pretty sure he'd seen those eyes somewhere. "What's your name?"

She frowned, but answered. "Persephone."

No last name. And here Genesis had hoping he would be able to pinpoint this girl's apparent familiar eyes through a name, but that was going to be impossible. Ah, well. Next point, then.

"So, what are you doing here, Persephone?" he asked, silently enjoying how the girl's name rolled off his lips rather well. It was a lovely name and while her father had questionable parental abilities, he definitely had great taste in names. From what he recalled, Persephone was the name of a goddess, although of what, the SOLDIER wasn't sure. Genesis he had read it somewhere.

The girl pouted at him, annoyed with the man for asking such an obvious question. Couldn't he tell why she was there? She replied, "I'm waiting for my Papa."

Genesis raised a brow? 'Waiting for her papa'? In this office? Well, they did all look similar—eerily so, in fact. But each door was individually numbered with a name plate for easy identification...for an adult. It occurred to him that Persephone probably couldn't properly read yet and that the nameplates for each SOLDIER officer on their floor were placed some feet above the girl's head, possibly too far for her to read without help.

Well, no matter. He would rectify this quickly enough.

"This is my office, you know."

The girl furrowed her brows as she tried to comprehend what the older man had just said. What did he mean by _his_ office?

"Your office?" she inquired softly, frowning a bit. "But...this is where my papa works..." _Wasn't it?_

Genesis shook his head. No, this was his office, although what she said raised up a new question in the SOLDIER's mind. Who was the girl's father that he would have an office on the officers' floor, reserved solely for SOLDIER and its operatives? Because if her father worked here, then that meant he was someone ranked as a First Class and was given an officer's position within the super soldier army. And while Shinra's army was vast, there were very few that made it into First Class and even fewer that were married or were old enough to have a child.

"Sorry to tell you—" _Well, not really, _Genesis thought. "—but this office is mine, but if you tell me who your 'papa' is, I'll be glad to help you get back to his office." _And chew him out for leaving his kid unsupervised and letting her into _**my** _personal space._ Yes, his priorities were a bit skewed, but at least the ginger-haired male realized that leaving a young child unsupervised was wrong and a parent shouldn't be allowed to have children if they didn't even possess the most basic of child caring abilities.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the girl said, still unsure about herself. Persephone had thought she had gone into the right office. It was within the same area, as far as she knew and when she peeked inside it looked just like her father's office, minus Angeal being in it. Thinking that, perhaps, her father had left the room temporarily, the girl went inside and settled down on the couch to wait for him to return. But if this was Genesis' office, then...

Oh, no. Did she get lost _again_?

The horror of the situation showed on the girl's face as she slapped her palms to her cheeks, mouth wide in an 'O' shape. Oh, no. This was not good. This was not good at all. She had been gone a while now and right now, she could imagine Angeal running around looking for her yet again. It was a most mortifying thing to know when your parent was out tearing a building apart looking for you and even worse when it was your own fault. Persephone knew that she had problems memorizing the layout of the Shinra Building, since it had so many floors and rooms that looked so much alike, but she thought that she could go to the bathroom by herself at this point.

Persephone looked down at her lap, thinking how disappointed Angeal was with her for disappering on him again and how worried he had to be and she felt bad. She was nothing, but trouble, she knew. The girl had no idea why he would go through the trouble of taking her in when he had so much on his plate already. And right now, she was only making things worse...

The girl's lips started to tremble as her hands slid down her cheeks and placed onto her lap. Genesis's eyes widened in surprise as he did not expect this kind of reaction to his questioning and his mind raced on what to say or do to avoid any complications. The last thing he needed was a headache caused by sudden crying.

"Uhh...euuuh...."

_Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry... _"Um...now, now. There's no need to cry. I'll take you to your dad and we'll..." _Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry..._

"Uuuh...euuuh...euuuh....uuuh..."

_Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry..._

Genesis did not like it when children cried. For many reasons. The main well known reason was that he hated the sound and it often drove him up the wall. The other, not-so-well-known one was the fact that he really, deep down, didn't like it when kids cried, even if they were all annoying little runts with dirty, nasty fingers who were grabby and needy. And it was always worse when a _girl_ cried. At least he could yell at a boy to get out and be done with it, but his parents had instilled within the SOLDIER a gentleman's education and that education included being nice to those of the female persuasion no matter their age group (or how obnoxious they were either, crazy fangirls).

The girl let out a wail which nearly made Genesis' enhanced ears go deaf from the sound and he had to clap his hands over them until the sound subsided into tolerable sobs. Oh, boy. And his day had started out so peacefully. He just hoped the kd's father wasn't some brute who would get in his face about making her cry.

Well, there wasn't much choice here, but to try and _console_ her.

This was not going to be easy; Genesis and children just did not mix. However, the SOLDIER was sure he would be able to work something out if he put his mind to it...

**A-S-G-P-A-S-G**

SOLDIER took up at least four whole floors to itself, although the main one happened to be on Level 49 where each operative accepted their missions, goodwill rations, did their training and just rested after a good day's work in the field (or tackling paper monsters on their desks). Though only a few floors, it would take some time to search through all of them for someone and that was assuming that this person would have remained on those restricted floors.

Angeal was on a mission. Somewhere on one of those floors, his daughter had gotten lost and was probably close to tears wondering where she was. And that was unacceptable. When he had taken in 'Little Seffie', he had agreed to watch over her, care for the child and love her in place of her parents. Well, the last part he wasn't sure he could do just yet, but he knew that he cared and for now, that was enough to spur him on to look in every nook and cranny Persephone might have gotten to.

He was going to find her.

Going from bottom to top, the search was started in the mess hall, thinking perhaps the child may have followed her stomach towards the scent of food being prepared as it was way past lunch time for the child and she may have gotten hungry and went there. Unfortunately, it had been fruitless looking there as no one had seen the girl walk around there and none of the workers had served the child anything all day, though she had been prone to wandering in and asking for an apple occasionally.

The next floor were some of the SOLDIER storage where weaponry and equipment was kept as well as some spare training rooms that were used for some practical classes or person use. The idea that she could be near dangerous weapons of any sort did not sit well with the young father and he had rushed to that floor as soon as possible, tearing through each storage unit, trying to see if his daughter had somehow wormed into them or had gotten into an accident (which he sincerely hope that she hadn't). Thankfully, there was no small body lying unconscious or bleeding anywhere, but it also meant that Angeal had yet to find his littl girl and his worry grew more.

He was really going to have to keep Persephone tethered to his desk. Or follow her everywhere. Or finally bunker down and get a babysitter for her so he could avoid situations like this. He hoped Lazard wouldn't find out about this mishap.

Angeal checked off another floor and its many rooms. Two more to go. He looked at his phone and saw that he had been at this for a little while already; it was close to one o' clock right now. Over thirty minutes since Persephone had left for the bathroom. And just about five minutes for—

Oh, damn it all to the Lifestream.

Angeal was supposed to meet up with Sephiroth and Genesis in the Virtual Reality room on Level 49 soon. He was going to have to tell his friends he would have to miss it, because he needed to be sure of his daughter's safety before anything else. Thirty minutes wasn't a long time for some, but this was his first time as a father and he was not going to screw it up.

He had to think. Every other time Persephone had gotten lost, she was usually close, somehow. Sort of lost in 'plain sight'.

_Where could she be?_ Angeal thought, letting his feet take him around the 49th floor as he pondered over his problem. He had been blindly searching, hoping through the process of elimination that he would eventually stumble on his daughter. He had gone through two and a half floors with zero success so far; he needed a change in strategy. And while parenting should have been second nature for a man who had taught younger, upcoming SOLDIER cadets and had recently taken on a student, what really was second nature was being a tactician in a time of war, always thinking one step ahead of the enemy.

_The problem here is that the 'enemy' is six years old and that kind of opposition is more unpredictable than the most wily of Wutai ninja_, the dark haired commander mused as he stopped in front of a door, which slid open automatically for him. He had no intention of going in just yet, but it would seem that someone else was intent on going out.

"Angeal," spoke a calm, baritone voice, causing to look at the person coming out of the room. Belatedly, Angeal noticed that it was the entrance to the VR Room and by standing in front of the automatic doors, he had allowed its sole occupant a clear view of him.

"There you are, I was beginning to worry you would have to cancel again," Sephiroth said coolly, looking over his disraught friend over. Quietly, the main raised one silver eyebrow in question, silently asking what was troubling the man and if he could be of any help in that one gesture. Glancing aside, the infamous general stood patiently for a reply from one of his only friends in the world.

"General," Angeal greeted politely, mind now occupied with thoughts of how to explain that he was going to _have_ to cancel in favor of finding his lost daughter. He really hated missing another moment with his friends, but he hated the thought of losing his daughter on a technicality even more. Thank Minerva he wasn't up for evaluation just yet. "There's something I have to tell you..."

Sephiroth crossed his arms and gave Angeal a level stare. "Odd. There's something that Genesis and I wished to speak to you about, as well, concerning your absence as of late." The dark haired man sighed, knowing that this had been coming a long time; he didn't think he had to explain his situation this way.

"I know. I apologize and I _will _explain later. _Everything._ But I really have to get going right now," Angeal stated, lips pressed into a rather thin line as every second that ticked away grated on his nerves. Not that Sephiroth intimidated him, because the older male was used to the other man's cool stares and rather cool and serious demeanor, but at the moment Angeal felt like he could barely tolerate his own stubble and Sephiroth seemed to take notice of that.

"What has happened, Angeal?" Sephiroth inquired, marginally softer sounding. "Did something happen to your new student?" It was common knowledge that none of the three top SOLDIERs were the type to take on one-on-one mentoring and had come as a great surprise to everyone when the gruffest of the three took on a boy who was, in every way, his opposite (and most likely to drive him batty). Also common knowledge was how fond Angeal had become of the boy over the short period of time they had known each other (or perhaps it was young Zack Fair's 'charm' getting the best of everyone yet again), so Sephiroth assumed it had to do with Angeal's pup.

"No, no, Zack's fine," Angeal replied. He wondered how he should breach the subject of Persephone to his friend, since he already looked to be in quite the bad mood. Had the talks gone bad? Or, perhaps, all those days of skipping out on his friend had made the silver-haired man a little upset on the inside? Angeal almost wished that Sephiroth would just confront him about it so he could just blurt out everything he needed to, however, that would be the coward's way and Angeal Hewley was anything, but a coward. The price of honor and pride was always steep thing to pay, though. "What's happened is I lost my daughter."

A silence reigned between the two SOLDIERs as Angeal stood silent, waiting for his friend's response to the unveiling of his troubles and the reason for so many absences and Sephiroth quickly registered and processed what had just been told to him.

There really was only on appropriate answer his rational mind could come up with.

"What?"

"I lost my daughter," Angeal repeated.

"You have a daughter?"

A nod.

"In the building."

Another nod, although it was slightly weary.

"You lost her?"

Yet again, Angeal nodded in reply.

Silence.

"How long?" Sephiroth asked, an unreadable expression coming onto his face.

"Thirty minutes," was the answer. Sephiroth shook his head.

"No. How long have you...had a daughter?" the general rephrased.

"It's only been official for about a week, but..." Angeal looked at the general who was staring at the floor, contemplating something before lookign up to meet his friend's gaze. While the trench coat wearing man appeared to be calm and accepting about this bit of news, Angeal could see a hint of betrayal in those aquamarine eyes and bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry, I should have said something sooner, but I wanted to wait a bit longer for her to settle in before I said anything."

While the hurt was still there, but it lessened in Sephiroth's eyes. They were going to have a _talk_ about this later. While his friend's personal affairs were his own, the general did have some right to know—as his friend—what could have possibly happened to force him into taking a child in. And as a commanding officer, he also had a right to know if his SOLDIERs had been fooling around on the job. But he would ask those questions later. Not now. Now was not the time.

"She has been gone thirty minutes? Where was she when you last saw her?" Sephiroth asked, already taking control of the situation as per usual. Whenever there had been a mission or assignment where Sephiroth was involved with either of his friends, he would unspokenly take charge and lead them. Even in these sorts of settings, it was no different and Angeal was happy to have a calmer head along for the ride.

"My office, but she hadn't returned, so that's why I'm looking for her right now," Angeal said. "I've already checked the floors below, because I thought she might have wandered down below, but so far...no luck."

Sephiroth nodded. "Well, perhaps she has returned to your office by now?"

Angeal shrugged. "I thought she might, but I wanted to check this floor just in case."

"And did you find anything?"

"Not a trace."

"Then our next course of action should eb to look on the next floor and see if she's turned up in one of the rooms there," Sephiroth stated, mind calculating the probability of a young child finding herself in a strange SOLDIER's office. "We should probably ask Genesis for help, as well. With three of us, we could cover more ground in case our search on the 50th floor turns up with nothing."

"Yeah..."

The two SOLDIERs decided to take the elevator, waiting for it to come up from several floors below. In the silence that ensued from the two waiting side by side, Angeal spoke up.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you or Genesis what I had been up to. It was...something I had to do on my own. I know we don't keep secrets from each other, but I was going to tell you. Today. In a nice, peaceful setting with just the three of us...and her. I never meant to just spring it up like this..."

Sephiroth shook his head. "You do not need to apologize. I'm sure you have a good explanation for all this...But mark my words, you will tell Genesis and I about it all."

Angeal nodded as the elevator doors opened, vowing that his friends would get the explanation that they deserved. After all, they were his only family here in Midgar. They were brothers in arms and they had to look out for one another, even when they think they don't want or need the support. It probably would have been less stressful these last couple of weeks if he had just told his friends outright what had happened, but what was done, was done. They could only move forward.

The two made their way towards Genesis' office, which was, somewhat coincidentally, _right across_ from Angeal's own personal space. Being of sensitive hearing, both Sephiroth and Angeal heard rather than saw that their ginger haired friend was inside the room, reading Loveless aloud to himself. It was a normal occurrence. What wasn't normal was the slightly wheezing breathing both men heard upon entering the office. While Genesis' voice was somewhat high and has a small, nasally quality to it, never once had Angeal or Sephiroth ever heard him wheeze or pant—not even after a long and hard training session with the three of them going at each other's throats.

The back of Genesis' head faced them and they could tell he was holding his favorite book, Loveless, up as he read each line, one by one carefully in a lilting, soft tone. His free arm was moving in a stroking motion; had he hurt himself and massasging the injury? Upon closer inspection though, all questions were answered.

Curled up with puffy red cheeks and breathing evenly, yet wheezily was a child, head resting on top of Genesis' thigh. It would see that the little thing had been crying for one reason or another and had tired herself out doing so. The ginger haired SOLDIER's glvoed hand was on her head, gently caress her hair as she slept. And as for the SOLDIER himself...

He turned to look at both Sephiroth and Angeal with weary eyes, snapping his book closed.

"Thank Gaia, you're here," he muttered low, careful not to awaken his charge. The man had been trying to get the child to stop crying in all manner of ways and had eventually settled on reading Loveless to her for the last little while. He had held her at first, because he was told that physical contact often helped a crying child—it certainly worked on the brats he had seen on the main floor, when hugged by their mothers—and then it wound that that she fell asleep rather quickly. Which was why she was using his lap as a pillow. Really. "Some officer is going to _burn_, because I was just forced to play _babysitter_. And after he's done _burning_, I'm going to _chew_ his sorry behind out for leaving a child _unattended_ and—"

"You found her," Angeal interrupted, confusing Genesis as the man gently picked up the sleeping child and cradled her in his arms. The little girl shifted in the burly man's arms, waking a little bit so she could wrap her arms around his neck before falling back into slumber. Sephiroth leaned close to inspect the girl, a curious smile on his lips.

"So...this is the one?" the silver haired man asked. He carefully looked over the little girl, hands behind his back as he studied the child. "She looks absolutely nothing like you."

Genesis frowned. What in the world were they on about? And what about him? Weren't they even going to properly greet him?

"What's going on?" he asked.

Angeal looked at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth looked at Angeal.

Genesis glared at them both.

"Angeal..."

With a sigh, Angeal took a deep breath and said,

"Genesis, Sephiroth..." He began with deliberation. "This...is my _daughter_...Persephone."

Silence.

Genesis gently placed his book down on the couch, then gracefully stood onto his feet, brushing off some imaginary dust from his red leather duster. His blue eyes were on the girl he had been forced to share quarters with for the better part of fifteen minutes, then on the serious looking man who was holding hr in his arms while she continued to sleep, exhausted from crying. His nostrils flared a little as he inhaled, a good sign that the flamboyant SOLDIER in red was going to start ranting—loudly—at Angeal. The man reared up slightly, his shoulders rising a little...and then he let out a quick breath.

Mako blue eyes glared daggers levelly at Angeal.

"You are, by far, the last person I would suspect of being a bad father, Angeal Hewley."

Angeal could only laugh at that, mentally relieved that Genesis hadn't yelled at him. Yet. He was probably going to do it later when Persephone wasn't around and from the look in his childhood friend's eyes, he was in for quite the angry rant about trust and friendship and 'good parenting skills'. He didn't mind though, he deserved it. He was just glad everything had turned out alright, in the end.

"So, Angeal...who's the mother?" Genesis inquired, crossing his arms in front of his chest, a rather mischievous look on his face. "I'm just dying to know how this suddenly just crept up on you."

"I am rather curious, myself. An explanation would be best at this point," Sephiroth stated, looking over at the father and daughter pair.

Angeal sighed.

Well, all's well that ends well.

"Where do I even begin?" Angeal mused quietly.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And so the introduction arc has ended. 8D Angeal has his little girl and Genesis and Sephiroth have both met the little lady. And now...life with the three SOLDIERs can begin! Also...anyone willing to be a beta for me? I tend to make quite a few spelling mistakes and they still escape me no matter how many times I read them over...and OpenOffice's spellcheck kind of sucks. XD No matter how many times I press it to check for grammar and spelling mistakes, it always says there are none and yet my readers tend to spot them anyways. And that's quite embarrassing.

Anyways, thanks for reading everyone! Your reviews are very loved and give me warm fuzzy feelings that help fuel the cuteness of parental love Angeal is feeling for Persephone!

Also, I take small requests. If there's something you'd like to see, I'll try for it. Just in a way of thanks to you all, the readers. I can't promise promptness, but I can promise some fun with any ideas you might have.

At any rate...thanks for reading everyone! And have a nice day!


	4. First

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **K

**Prompt:** First

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**Author's Note: **Part one of 'A Father's Dreams' arc. =D A nice small introspection and one I've been wanting to do since before I started the fic.

**004. First**

"_What is human life? The first third, a good time; the rest, remembering it."_

Angeal knew for a fact that, with adoption, there would be many things he would have missed.

He would never witness his little girl's first steps; he'd imagine himself holding her tiny hands while she clumsily put one foot in front of the other in a facsimile of walking. Angeal would keep hold of her until she was sure of herself, then let go to watch her toddle across the room.

He would never know what her first word was, whether it was 'dada' or 'daddy', 'mama' or 'mommy' or even something as random as 'spoon'. Her voice would have been so small, yet delighted as she giggled at the pleased look her father would have on his face as he held her close.

But her first smile would also never be his and neither would her very first laugh; they would forever be the possessions of another man.

And he would never know the feel of her being cradled in his arms as she would take her first breaths in a strange new world; it was only a far off dream.

Angeal knew that he had miss out on all of the formative (and most important) years of his child's life and there wasn't enough Time Materia on the Planet that would allow him to turn back the clock. However, for all those moments lost, he would find a million new ones waiting for him with each morning.

There was a bright future for Angeal and Persephone, filled with lots of firsts and new beginnings just for them. Angeal was looking forward to the girl's first day at school; the day she would make her first friend in class; when she would take her first chocobo ride near Kalm with him and Genesis; her first attempt at making a cake, because she wanted to make something for hos birthday; to their first celebrated holiday and to her first birthday with him and whatever else a young girl could get up to. Yes, the future seemed wonderful and he was going to face it head-on and enjoy each and every moment, although he did worry a bit.

Like the first time Persephone would be hurt; that was something he did not wait for with bated breath. As any father would, he vowed that he would never allow any child of his to come to any harm, if he had any say in the matter. While a SOLDIER First Class with great tactical know-how and physical strength, he did have his limitations, but Angeal would turn a blind eye to them—his daughter would become his everything, his driving force in each battle!

It was nice to know he had someone to come home to now, instead of just an apartment filled only with plants (which he had been close to naming and giving personalities to).

The man was already dreading the day when she would be taken from him. Who knew when that first love would strike? Who knew when love would firecely take hold of his daughter's heart? Who knew when a simple boyfriend would transform into a fiancé? Who knew how long before he would have to give away a young, smiling bride?

How long before Angeal would be allowed to see his first granchild?

Of course, this was still very far off from becoming Angeal's reality. A very long ways away before any of that could possibly happen, because, right now, his daughter was only six years old and was still coping with the loss of her birth parents and such trauma would never just go away. All Angeal could do right now was to be there for her and care for her to the best of his ability. There was no use in wishing for what couldn't be and for what had yet to happen. His role as of now was that of a doting father and he would play that role, because...

_Knock-knock_.

Angeal blinked up at the ceiling of his bedroom, being pulled out of his musings. The door slowly creaked open and a small, dark head peered inside at him. Here was the girl who occupied his thoughts, the only woman in his life other than his mother. She shrunk a little when he turned his gaze onto her, probably still a little scared by how his eyes glowed in the dark, due to his mako injections. Timidly, the girl entered the room, moving to his bedside as he rolled over to properly face her.

"Papa Angeal?" she whispered very quietly. She chewed her lip, a nervous habit she had whenever he felt nervous. Sighing softly, Angeal reached out and stroked her head, running his fingers through her short dark hair.

"Yes, Persephone?" the man inquired gently. He wasn't very tired and had been thinking all night about the future and if that sad look on her face was because she was sorry for waking him, then he would erase expression. "What is it?"

The girl was tugging at the hem of the overly large shirt he had given her to use as a sort of night dress (he really was going to have to get some pyjamas or a night gown for the girl); it was quite big and slipped off of her shoulders, despite it being a shirt from his younger years in SOLDIER, but the girl look positively adorable in it and wouldn't wear anything else to bed. The child's knees were showing, since she lifted the shirt up by the hem and was fidgetting with it. She was very anxious about what she was about to say and he knew she wanted to tell him something at....

He checked the wall clock.

...Two in the morning.

It was way past her bed time.

"May I sleep with you tonight?" she pleaded. "I had a bad dream."

Angeal's expression soften sympathetically, knowing about the nightmares the girl regularly had since that one day in Wutai. From the few times she had told him about the contents of those dreams, he knew they were about the deaths of her parents and the violent war going on in her mother's homeland. During those times, he had allowed his daughter to sleep with him.

"Sure. Hop in." Angeal pulled the covers aside and Persephone gladly crawled into bed with him, wasting absolutely no time in snuggling into his side. He smiled faintly as he wrapped an arm around her tiny frame, listening to her sigh in content. He rubbed her back, doing his best to lull her into slumber this way, because he was a doting father and that was his role and he would enjoy every single little moment like this, because there was so much they had to do. Just like this, Angeal would be by Persephone's side as she grew up, guiding her through the rough patches in life.

And he would love her so very much, as if she were his very own flesh and blood. And it would surprise him just how much he'd love her, to the point of never wanting to let her go.

But she was still young and sweet and he...well, he was already a little old, but the SOLDIER found that he could be content with just that, as long as he could watch his little Persephone grow up into a wonderful young lady.

But, first things first, before that would come to be, all little girls need their rest.

"Go to sleep, Seffie," he murmured softly, using her nickname, "I'll keep the bad dreams away."

The girl shifted a bit. "Promise?" the girl asked.

He tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear as the answer came so very easily, "Always."

There was a pregnant pause where the silence reigned so long that Angeal though that, perhaps, the girl had finally fallen asleep already, but then he surprised him by moving. She wiggled her way upwards and placed the sofest kiss he had ever been given—as light and deliate as a butterfly's wing—right on his slightly rough cheek. She giggled at the stubble that rubbed against her skin.

"Thank you, papa. Sweet dreams," she whispered to him, before lying down beside him.

Smiling, Angeal took a chance and returned her kiss-on-the-cheek with an affectionate peck on her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Seffie," he replied. Closing his eyes, he tried going to sleep, the soft breaths of his sleeping daughter being his own lullaby as he dreamed of hugs, butterfly kisses and little white flowers.


	5. Last

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **K

**Prompt:** Last

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**Author's Note: **Part two of 'A Father's Dreams' arc. Be ready to either laugh your butt off or go 'OMGWTFBBQ'. You also might wanna listen to 'Butterfly Kisses' by Bob Carlisle, while reading this. On the other hand...you might NOT.

**005. Last**

"_Sometimes, the last thing you want to do in the morning is wake-up."_

She was going to change her name today; she was going to make a promise and he would have to give her away.

Even though it was 'The Day of All Days', giving away his only daughter was the very last thing Angeal Hewley wanted to do.

The SOLDIER didn't know how it had happened so quickly. One minute, a six year old little girl was sleeping snuggly in his arms, wearing a shirt that was ten sizes too large for her and then, the next minute, Angeal was wearing an uncomfortable tuxedo in the bride's room, staring at his grown-up daughter's bare back.

_The cut on the dress was quite low_, he mused rather darkly. _Much too low..._

Angeal really wondered how he had gotten there. He understood the concept of time flying by when blinking one's eyes, but this was ridiculous. Seventeen years couldn't have passed that quickly, right? How'd he even know seventeen had gone by? Or was his old—_Minerva_, he must be old right now if his daughter was a fully grown woman about to get married—mind playing tricks with him?

Persephone was fixing her veil, her back to her father still, as he contemplated the concumdrum that was his sudden mid-life crisis. Satin-gloved hands were working a snarl in her dark hair, which had gotten stuck to the lace veil that covered her head.

"Papa?" she called out inquiringly, her voice about seventeen years more mature than he remembered it. It still retained a familiar sweetness to it, that proved without a doubt that this was Angeal's adopted half-Wutai daughter, wearing a wedding dress and abotu to get hitched. "Something on your mind? What are you thinking about?"

What _was_ he thinking about?

The older man let out a sigh as he leaned against a wall, the tux's fabric itching something awful. He had to fight to keep from scratching. "I'm not really sure what I should be thinking," he replied, at length. The girl—woman—hummed uncommittedly as she turned to face her father, a rather calm smile on her lips.

And, right then, Angeal was dumbstruck.

There are no words to accurately describe how a father feels about his daughter, no way to say how beautiful he thought she was—especially when he finally wakes-up one day not to find that sweet little girl who used to hide from nightmares in his arms at night, but a woman who was striking out on her own. His mind was a puddle of parental goo, caused by a jumble of emotions welling up inside of him and confusing him about whether he should be feeling happy, sad or homocidal towards the groom). However, through the mess that was his muddled mind, he managed one coherent thought.

_My daughter is so beautiful._

There really wasn't a detail that stood out above the rest about the way his girl looked right now, as everything good had seemed to have come together in that one moment when Persephone smiled at him from behind her veil.

He was getting sentimental. And _old_.

And just as quickly as that moment came, Angeal was suddenly hit with a sense of loss all over again. The dark-haired man made a choked sound, which surprised the young bride into fretting and flailing a bit in concern.

"Papa? Papa, what's wrong?" she asked, quite alarmed to find her father to be close to tears. Being a creature of absolute pride, the SOLDIER shook his head at her.

"I'm fine," he stated, his voice a bit strained. Persephone frowned.

"You don't seem fine."

The pointed look he got from her told him that she had, despite not being his biological child, inherited some of his traits. And that included his patented glare that he usually reserved for the newly recruited SOLDIER Thirds and the cadets. He heaved a large sigh.

"I'm alright...just a little overwhelmed." Anyone would be at this point. To Angeal, it felt like he had lost seventeen important years of his life. He turned away, doing his best to look impassive as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. The effect he was going for was a bit ruined, for the fact that the suit he wore was quite stiff and he moved like he had a bad case of muscle cramps. "I feel like...I'm losing something today. Something very dear."

"What?" Persephone asked, curiously.

"I just..." Could he say it? Would she laugh? "I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl."

Silence followed this sudden proclamation, making Angeal worry that he had said something inappropriate. Was his daughter going to laugh at him after all? Was she going to scoff and rebuke him? Many questions rang out in the SOLDIER's mind, but he did not voice them, as if someone had used a 'Silence' spell on him.

But then she was standing close to him, staring at him straight in the eye. Her face was somewhat obscured by the long veil she wore, but it was pushed aside and he could clearly see her familiar face in full, smiling at him.

And ever-so-delicately—like the gentle fluttering og a butterfly's wings—she leaned up to him and kissed his cheek.

"Papa, you worry too much," she told him, chuckling a little as she replaced her veil. The young woman mirthfully went back to her place by the mirror to finish getting prepared, just as a wedding march started to play. Angeal's heart, which had only just started healing itself after Persephone's kiss, wrenched itself anew in his chest, while both father and daughter stood silently together.

It was the voice of Persephone speaking that jarred Angeal out of the silence engulfing them.

"Walk me down the isle, papa! It's just about time," she said, sounding positively excited. Her hair and veil were all fixed up, but the dark-haired woman continued to fuss over how she looked. The young woman stared at her reflection, then tossed her gaze over at her father and then back to the mirror. Persephone did this a few more times and then she went over to Angeal.

"How do I look, papa?" she asked. "Does my wedding gown look pretty?" To showcase the wedding gown, Persephone did a simple twirl that lifted the many layers of her skirt delicately, a gesture which caused Angeal's composure to crack. The man had to cover his eyes with a hand so his daughter couldn't see him cry.

Too late though. The moment his hand had moved, Persephone was on him like a Tonberry on an unsuspecting victim—too fast to even catch in the action.

"Papa, why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," Angeal insisted.

"Yes, you are, now what's wrong?" Persistent thing, he wondered who she got that stubborness from.

"It's nothing. I just have something in my eye," he lied. He quickly wiped his eyes and sobered up, reminding himself that he had served many years as a SOLDIER. He had seen enough war, blood, death and violence to give anyone nightmares for years to come. He had witnessed enemies and allies alike fall down before him; he had attended just as many funerals. His daughter's wedding shouldn't be making him all misty-eyed.

Lovingly, he took his daughter's arm and wrapped it around his bicep. He took one last look down at her.

His bit his lip and then bit the bullet by pushing the doors open and starting to walk her towards the ceremony and her future.

"I love you, you know that?" he asked randomly, as with each step, he was one foot closer to losing his daughter to another man forever.

"I know, papa," she answered. Her gaze was straight ahead and Angeal, too, turned his eyes forward so they would meet the future together, as he had promised he would. Today was the end of many things, but it would also be the beginning of many others as the doors to the ceremony opened wide. The lights beyond were blinding, compared to the artifical lighting in the corridors leading from the bride's room to wedding ceremony; the music was louder now, almost blaring in his sensitive ears. Once Angeal's eyes adjusted he saw...

"Wh...what?!"

He saw...He saw...

"What's the matter Angeal? You look pale," Genesis said, standing on the left of the groom. Wanting to outshine everyone (including the bride), he was wearing a very classy white tuxedo numder that _should_ have been for the groom, but had been kept for himself.

He saw...He saw...

"Is something the matter?" Sephiroth inquired, looking for all the world like some aloof supermodel in the black suit he wore to the occasion.

He saw...He saw...

"Hey, Angeal! Took you guys long enough!" said the cheerful voice of the groom, who waved enthusiastically from where he stood by the altar, grinning a very huge grin. Angeal just stared in utter shock at the person who was going to be marrying his girl. The man who was going to be responsible for bringing income to himself and his young wife. He could not believe it...he would _not _believe it.

"...Z-Zack?!" The dark-haired SOLDIER first class stammered, pointing at the young man who he also looked upon as a surrogate child, even if he was too old to be such. The Gongaga-born groom grinned widely and gave his future father-in-law a thumbs up in greeting before rushing forward and sweeping his bride away from the older male. "Wh-wha...how...you...You can't be Persephone's—"

"Oh, but I am! And I'm _so_ psyched about being your son-in-law!" Zack said, trying to be all buddy-buddy about the entire thing, while Genesis and Sephiroth just ignored the scene unfolding before them. Angeal shot them a look that yelled 'TRAITORS!'. "We'll go fishing and go watch sports together and be all father and _son_! And when we have kids—" Oh, god, Zack was going to have kids with his daughter! Angeal was caught between horror and anger. When? How? Had Angeal been in some sort of seventeen year long coma that he had only just woke-up from a while ago and he had missed all the events leading to this horrific day?

As Zack went on and on and on about their shared future (making Angeal feel slightly less fond of his favored student with each passing word), something welled up inside of the usually calm and composed SOLDIER. It was demanding to be let out, pushing and shoving at his throat until he could just not hold it in any longer. First coming into a moment in time, seventeen years later where he was sure time had passed, yet remembered nothing at all; then knowing he had to let go of his baby girl and now this _travesty_. Angeal refused to believe any of this was going on.

The ceremony had continued without him. After Zack had finished gushing about how he and Angeal were going to be the 'best of bestest best friends ever', he had taken his bride to the altar to be hitched. The SOLDIER first class had returned to 'reality' just in time to hear the most fatally final words he could possibly hear:

"I do."

Angeal's eye twitched.

A vein popped.

His face went totally red.

And he took a breath and —

—_fell right out of bed_.

He had landed rather oddly, his arm tucked under hs belly with his neck at a slight angle, his cheek pressed against the rough carpetting of his bedroom. His legs were all tangled up in the bedsheets and his entire body was covered in a cold sweat. Grunting, the SOLDIER rolled over so that he laid on his back. Mako enhanced eyes stared up at the ceiling in temporary befuddlement for close to three seconds before Angeal became aware of what he had just experienced.

He studied his surroundings from where he laid on the floor, taking everything in carefully, so he could come to an educated evaluation of the situation.

There were four, normal, white walls; ordinary and normal for a room, since rooms needed four walls in order to be a room. Such is their definition and lot in life. Connected to those four walls were a ceiling with no lights and a floor with carpeting. Also normal. His favorite fern was perched on its usual stool nearest the window, which was showing the barest hint of the coming dawn. The room was very, very dimly lit, but it was probably too dark to maneuver properly for someone without enhanced sight.

His Buster Sword was mounted properly high on one wall, out of small hands' reach. His closet door was opened, the bedroom door was closed and there was the sound of breathing that _wasn't his own_.

It was soft and close by and Angeal had to slowly approach the source, in case it scampered away.

Everything registered in his mind, finally, as he saw the small girl curled up in a ball on his bed, still sleeping peacefully, despite her father's ungraceful fall from slumber. The man moved onto the bed, looking down at the girl who had so drastically changed his life these last few months and he sighed.

Seventeen years hadn't passed; it had all been just one very horrible nightmare. He was still only twenty-three years of age, his little girl was still very much little and tiny and sweet and not getting married.

_Oh, what a relief!_ Angeal thought, tiredly. He would never have expected to dream up _that_ nightmare when he had gone to sleep that night. He really shouldn't be thinking too much before bed anyways. Didn't Zack say that he'd age at least twenty years, if he kept it up? And how on Gaia did his student worm into his subconscious like that anyways?

_Well, to be honest I haven't been giving him enough thought recently,_ the SOLDIER mused as he settled back into bed with Persephone. The girl mumbled something in her sleep and moved closer to him instinctively, snuggling close to stay warm. Angeal smiled and pulled the blankets up around the two of them. _But I'll worry about that in the morning. Right now...I am going to bask in the fact that my Persephone is only six and not about to run off with my student._

The dream had been outrageous enough, losing his daughter. Losing his student as well, would have been just plain embarrassing. Not to mention his empty nest syndrome he had experienced in the dream, too real as it had been right until the end when everything went into the direction of the surreal. The idea of Zack managing to keep his attention on any one thing (or person) was still a novel idea at this point, though. Still, if the boy did pursue happiness on that particular road, he would be happy for the boy—just not with his daughter. As fond as he was of the spikey-haired young man, if he so much as looked at Persephone that way—

_You're thinking too much, Angeal Hewley. Thinking too much. Besides...Zack probably prefers someone his age. Hopefully._

Exhaling, Angeal closed his eyes and tried to get some more sleep, hoping that when he next 'woke-up' it would be to something pleasant like butterfly kisses 'good morning' and not a kiss 'good-bye'. He was lucky enough to be living out so many of his dreams...he wanted to enjoy _this_ one while it lasted, even if, ideally, he never wanted to 'wake-up' from it. There was still so much to do...

And so goes another night with father and daughter.

* * *

Author's Note: Just so you guys know, I don't hate Zack. XD I just had to stick SOMEBODY as the nightmare groom in Angeal's dream.

Up Next: The day that both Genesis and Sephiroth are dreading has finally arrived. It's time for babysitting duty.


	6. Hours

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **T

**Prompt:** Hours

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**006. Hours**

"_The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."_

They were going on a mission together, Genesis and Sephiroth. It was like a dream come true for the red coat wearing SOLDIER, who had always wanted to work alongside the infamous general since first hearing of him on the farm in Banora. However, he wished that the circumstances in which they had been thrown together had been better. This mission...this mission was one he would never wish on his enemies.

So, obviously, he would whine and complain to high heaven about it as he readied himself for the

special assignment ahead of him.

"My talent is being wasted on this," Genesis grumbled to himself. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his forehead creased in concentration. To say that the ginger-haired man was not happy as he packed the essentials he had to race around to get the night prior was an understatment. Bad enough he had been called in for this at the last minute, but to be forced into running around like some errand boy? The nerve!

Sephiroth stood off to the side, arms folded elegantly in front of his chest. He was leaning against a wall, quietly waiting for his comrade to finish packing his things as well as complaining. He knew that it was best to not interrupt the older man while he was in the middle of a 'bitch rant' (as dubbed by Angeal) and learned that responding to anything he said usually lengthened said rant. Personally, Sephiroth found these irrational outbursts to be quite entertaining and a good way to know Genesis' pet peeves without having to directly ask them. All the better to avoid future rants, as Angeal would say.

Finally, Genesis' preparations were ready and the two of them could be off.

The mission was simple: Genesis and Sephiroth were to go on surveillance of a suspected Wutai for the next eight or so hours at a specified location within the Shinra building. It boggled the ginger-haired man to no end that what they had to do would take place within headquarters itself, when it could be done elsewhere in more worthwhile spots, but since their intended target was within Shinra's walls, they had little choice. And this meant that special arrangements had to be made. For today's mission, Sephiroth gracefully bowed out of the commanding position, since he felt that his friend had more of an idea of what the both of them would be up against.

"We are still expected to be working, of course. No point in going all-out in this," Genesis explained as he walked down a corridor together with Sephiroth. "If the both of us move out of our usual routine, it would be rather suspicious."

"I agree," Sephiroth said, "but would it be necessary for the both of us to be watching, or..."

"It would be best if we took shifts," Genesis said, smiling rather wanely. "It'll be more productive that way, although I hear our target is quite docile." He shrugged, not quite sure on the intelligence received from his source, but the person who told him was credible and wouldn't lie. And if he had, there would be hell to pay, the SOLDIER would make sure of _that_.

It wasn't a far walk from the locker room where Genesis had irritably ranted for the better part of fifteen minutes to where their mission would start. They had the necessary equipment on hand and two SOLDIERs' worth of ingenuity, strength and intellect; nothing could possibly go wrong. Sure, Genesis lacked patience in this particular area (he much preferred being on the frontlines and being a glorious hero for all to see, compared to all of this subterfuge), but he did carry the abilities and experience in these sorts of situations that Sephiroth—for all of his fame and glory and skill—never had the chance to nuture.

Not that it would matter much, in the end.

The two of them approached the room where their target was, the door automatically sliding open at their arrival. Slowly, the two SOLDIERs First Class moved into the room, their movements so silent that their quarry never heard them coming until they were at least a meter away. Genesis stepped on a fallen pen in the office, making a loud snapping sound fill the room that made the only other occupant in the room, besides Sephiroth, jump up in surprise. Mentally cursing himself, the surprise attack the ginger-haired man had plan was foiled as the target whirled around, eyes widening.

"Uncle Genesis! Sephiroth!"

The 'target', a six-year old half-Wutai girl and adopted daughter of Genesis' best friend, Angeal, grinned from ear to ear as she sprang up from the chair she had been sitting in to scamper over to the two SOLDIERs who were to be _babysitting_ her until her father returned from a short training trip with Zack Fair, Angeal's student. That's right. For the next nine hours both fully grown men would be at the mercy of a first grader.

Genesis wished it had been true surveillance of a suspected Wutai agent of some kind, but no. He would be wasting away inside of the Shinra building, doing mundane tasks such as paperwork tht his secretary normally handled for him while keeping an eye on the child all day long.

But if it was for Angeal (who owed him greatly for subjecting him to the travesty that was babysitting) Genesis would move the stars and re-arrange time for him. Perhaps it was Genesis' long standing dislike of children that made him wary of those under the manageable age of fifteen, born from the fact that:

A. While growing up, he had no younger siblings to speak of until Angeal came into the picture and even then, Genesis could concede that he had been one very spoiled brat.

—and—

B. Every time Genesis was left alone with a child, something _always _happened.

But he would grin and bare with it anyways. While he lacked the caring heart, Genesis certainly did not lack anything when it came to experience. Meanwhile, for Sephiroth...

"Good morning, Persephone," the general said gently to the girl, torn between two possible courses of action he could take. The silver-haired man, unlike his comrade, had no trouble accepting others into his heart (when he opened up enough to do so and that usually took quite a bit of persuasion for that to happen), but had no clue how to properly interact with other people. And right now, he wasn't sure if a pat on the head or a hug was appropriate at this point. He barely knew the dark-haired girl for a little under a week and wasn't sure of how to treat a little girl. Sephiroth was a man of observation and visual learning and all he knew of interaction between himself and the rest of the world, he had gleaned from watching the people around him.

Had it not been for Genesis and Angeal approaching him first all those years ago, then Sephiroth wouldn't even try at being as social as he did now. He would be without a 'family' who would guide him, as Angeal had once put it.

The girl made the first move, dropping the rather thick book she had been reading to go over to her uncles and hugging their legs. A small smile twitched at the corner of the general's mouth as she passed from Genesis (of whom she seemed particularly fond of) to him, hanging onto his leg, her head barely above his _knee_. She was terribly small and most likely terribly delicate as well. The main reason why he did not show her any physical affection the way her father and uncle readily did; he was afraid one single touch on his part would break her.

"Good morning," Persephone replied, albeit shyly. She looked up at him with big, expectant blue eyes, but he had no idea what she wanted of him, what she wanted him to do. After a few moments, the girl let go and went back to Genesis, who would give her the attention she wanted. "Good morning, Uncle Genesis. Papa Angeal said you and Sephiroth be coming today," she chirped happily.

"Well, of course," Genesis said to her. "We are SOLDIERs, after all, and we take our missions very seriously—" Leave it to a bunch of SOLDIERs to approach child rearing with a military mindset. "—whether it's taking down enemies in the field of battle or taking care of a pretty little girl like you." He was laying it on pretty thick, he knew. Sephiroth knew it, too. And from the look on his niece's face, she probably knew a ham when she saw one.

But then, she just smiled. "Uncle Genesis, you're silly."

The man in question forced out a chuckle. "I suppose I am." Shaking his head, he set down the large pack he had been carrying onto Angeal's desk. He opened it up and started rummaging through it as Sephiroth asked Persephone if her father had already left with Zack.

"Yeap!" The girl had gone back to her seat, picking up the book she had so carelessly dropped in her rush to greet her surrogate uncles. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the title, wondering what Angeal had been thinking when he gave it to her. If he was, indeed, the culprit behind this dubious gift. "Papa and Zack just left before you got here. And Zack gave me some candy! He got me licorice. He's so nice." The girl sighed happily, but then pouted a bit. "Papa said I couldn't eat it though. It's bad for my teeth."

"Candy _is_ bad for your teeth," Genesis stated offhandedly. He was pulling some items out from his bag and placing them carefully onto the desk. Most of them seemed to be books. "You should eat healthy things so you can grow up big and strong. Like apples. Banora whites are the best."

"Banora whites?" the girl inquired, before Sephiroth could stop her. He knew that if she asked—which he was sure Genesis wanted her to, the sly tactician—he would go into an explanation about the famous Banoran export, which would eventually lead to a very long-winded explanation about Loveless that Sephiroth felt no one needed to hear. He had heard the same rant at least eighty-six times to date; he could probably quote it word for word.

Genesis grinned as he turned around to face the child, holding out the self-same blue-purple fruit. "Oh, yes. The Banora White; Banora's most famous and delicious export; my gift of the goddess in all of its compact splendor."

Persephone stared at the apple, a perplexed look on her young face. Her nose scrunched up a bit as she studied the fruit long and hard, frowning all the while.

"It doesn't look white," she said, not giving the red-decked SOLDIER the reply he wanted. In fact, he looked slightly flabbergasted by her proclamation. "It's more of a bluey-purpley kind of color. Like....like....like...like Director Scarlet's favorite make-up!"

Genesis stared, not quite registering what he had heard.

Sephiroth's lips quirked up a bit, but he made a brave effort in keeping from looking too amused with the situation.

Persephone waited for an explanation as to why something called a 'Banora White' was the exact same shade of Shinra's most notorious director's eye shadow.

Both men had taken the news of Persephone's adoption much better than this, but at least _one_ of them felt like laughing about the situation.

_Well_, thought Sephiroth,_ that's _**one**_ way of stopping Genesis right before a rant._

Before his friend could blow the proverbial gasket—and the redhead was known for his explosive (and Firaga-filled) temper—the silver-haired general stepped in to change the subject. They had no time to waste at this point and they had already wasted enough due to the morning's shenanigans in the locker room.

"What's that book you're reading, Persephone?"

"It's Loveless!"

"Loveless? Really?" Sephiroth privately smirked to himself as Genesis seemed to perk up at the mere mention of his favorite epic poem (and play and annotated novel and movie and series and etc, etc...)

Genesis was frowning though, for one reason or another. Persephone looked pleased that they had noticed.

"Yeap! Papa bought me a copy the day after I met you. He said it's a 'pre-empty strike' against any 'corn-uption' from Uncle Genesis," she said, having a bit of trouble with her words. Sephiroth looked a bit confused, not used to the jumbled speech of a child, but Genesis understood what she meant. Especially since it involved him.

"I do believe she's trying to say that Angeal wanted to 'pre-empt' any possible 'corruption' I might do, concerning Loveless." The commander in red scoffed. "As if I would do that! I do read other books besides Loveless, you know!"

_Could have fooled us,_ was what went through Sephiroth's mind. Mako eyes watched as Genesis picked up one of the books he had pulled out from his bag. They were quite new, with glossy, brightly colored covers with the picture of a chocobo on each front. Some had a scared little moogle with said chocobo_, _or a dog-like animal with bright red fur that seemed to enjoy bouncing around. The general wondered if these books were some kind of reference books on the beasts of Gaia made for children, since the features of the animals were quite exaggerated and made them to seem...more pleasing to the eye.

"Anyways...forget Loveless. You're too young to fully understand the majesty that is the epic tale as spun by the goddess, Minerva, herself." Genesis showed the little girl a book (one among many he had run around Midgar to get for her the other night). "For the next nine hours, you can busy yourself with Boco the Choo."

The girl's curiosity was picqued as she gazed at the cover with a yellow chocobo and a little brown haired boy who walked with him. This one was title 'The Adventures of Boco the Choo and Bartz Klauser' and was thick with many tales of the boy and his chocobo friend. Silently, the girl asked if she could really read the book and Genesis gladly gave it to her, secretly happy that the girl was as much as a bookworm as Angeal had told him the over the phone.

Angeal's voice rang in the ginger-haired man's mind. _"Probably a result of both of her parents being scientists with little to no time on their hands and no playmates to keep her busy."_ There was an unexpected pang in his chest right there, but he ignored it in favor of speaking to Sephiroth. It was time to divide and conquer; warriors like them had jobs to do, too.

"So, do you get the first hour, or shall I?"

**G-P-G-P-G-P-G- THE FIRST HOUR -P-G-P-G-P-G-P**

Genesis really disliked children. They were loud, noisy, needy and, above all, unpredictable. The worst ones were the ones you couldn't put a finger on right away, whose true demonic personalities were hidden behind a quiet demeanor and books. He knew Persephone for all of a week and his general dislike of her existence did not lessen. Sure, he had been a child at one time—it was a fact that he would not forget any time soon—however, being the man of perfection that he was, he did not forgive others easily of their flaws, despite his own.

Her sitting there peacefully grated more on the SOLDIER, than ten unruly children combined. Why? Because, despite any and all expectations for the girl to be an ill-bred child with bad manners, she was quiet and calm and really did love her books.

Child of scientists indeed. Perhaps it was the injustice of an improper childhood that left the man in red unable to finish his paper work in peace.

Well, he had been looking for an excuse to _not_ do it. Might as well be something close to legitimate. Heros shouldn't have to be forced to endure paperwork anyways. Plus, he was quite curious about the girl who had quite thoroughly stolen his best friend's heart.

Over a stack of paper about military movements, Genesis called out to the little girl.

"Persephone?"

She looked up from her book. "Yes, uncle Genesis?"

"Where are you at right now?" he inquired nonchalantly.

The girl blinked in confusion. "Huh? Um...the Shinra building?" she replied, unsure if her answer was the correct one. It wasn't.

Genesis rolled his eyes heavenward and re-worded his sentence. "Which part of the book are you reading right now?"

The child seemed to understand what he meant this time, her mouth making an 'O' shape as comprehension came to her. She smiled.

"I'm at the part where Boco ate too many greens and got himself stuck in Tonberry's door," she said, giggling. She turned the book around, holding it wide open to the page she was on. There was a watercolor illustration of a fat yellow chocobo stuck in the middle of the entrance of a tonberry hovel, doing his best to get out and yet, failing miserably. There were rather comical tears streaming down the bird's now chubby face. No wonder she was laughing. He'd be laughing, too, if such base things were amusing to him now.

It did, once upon a time, though...

"See? Too much of a good thing can be bad, Persephone," Genesis began to lecture. "Eat too much and you'll get big and fat and get stuck in a door like Boco."

Persephone looked at the older male quizzically. "Um...I thought you said that eating too much candy was bad for my teeth..."

"You'll get _fat_, too. And then even your papa won't be able to pick you up."

Silence reigned afterwards; a silence Genesis had created himself. But he could deal with it now, since the girl was quietly fuming to herself in her chair as she failed to keep her attention on her book. It was quite petty, he knew, that he privately delighted in the fact that he had caused a child to become infuriated with him without any true consequence.

The hour passed quickly, as he plotted on how to make it up to her later.

He would be insulted, too, if someone had insinuated that he had gotten fat.

**S-P-S-P-S-P-S- THE SECOND HOUR -P-S-P-S-P-S-P**

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

He signed a document, placed it in the outbox, picked up another one and skimmed it.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

She flipped a page and read the sentences laid out for her young eyes, gazing occasionally at the whimsical illustrations of creatures who were ranked as some of the most lethal monsters on the planet.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

The two of them had been like this for the better part of an hour already and his time would soon be up. Not that Sephiroth had expected much of a warm welcome as he had this morning, but he didn't think Genesis' careful 'parental persona' would have given way so quickly. The least the ginger-haired man could do was to let the child grow on him before trying to make enemies with her. Sephiroth would never be able to understand people, it seemed. Especially with a man like Genesis as an example for an 'every day man'. Were children so very bad? Persephone seemed quiet enough, if a little bit wary of him.

Upon first observation of the child, as she was dropped off at his office by a young trooper Genesis had used for the task, the general knew that she was unhappy. The tenseness of her shoulders had gone up significantly in the last sixty minutes; her heart was beating faster, he could hear and her little face was scrunched up in unabashed irritation characteristic of young humans in bad moods and cranky scientists whose experiments hadn't gone their way.

The true problem here was what to do about it?

Normally, if his SOLDIERs had any problems between them, he would allow a grace period in which those specific SOLDIERs would be allowed to work things out on their own. Most of the time, the men would choose to ignore things and simply forget anything had happened between them (which, according to Angeal, was not productive at all) and he would only step in if things got terribly out of hand. Once or twice Sephiroth had been forced into separating a pair of unruly SOLDIERs when they had been close to killing one another and he dearly wished that it would not have to happen between himself and Angeal, should any bad blood arise because of Persephone's sudden appearance.

Sephiroth had, eventually, accepted the girl's inclusion to their group easily enough. There was no point in arguing with his comrade about Persephone and it would only have saddened Angeal if he had acted rashly or said something off-color. Angeal had a daughter now and nothing, barring accidental death or terminal illness, would separate them.

Genesis, on the other hand, would not be as careful, he believed.

The man had the charisma of a politician and the charm of a well-bred gentleman of high standing and the facade of someone who gave a damn. While their friendship was genuine, Genesis was well known for his lack of patience and his bad temperament. He was also brutally honest and vain and there hadn't been a time when Sephiroth hadn't known his friend to not insult someone, because they did not meet his high standards. And if someone were to threaten him, in some manner, his commander was also known to counterattack viciously.

Six year old or not, Genesis probably did feel threatened by Persephone's arrival into their lives and was acting rashly. To his credit, he could play the charade of doting uncle very well and had been on his best behaviour...until whatever had happened in that first hour of uncle and niece being together.

Sephiroth sighed.

While he could understand his ward being immature about the whole thing, that gave no excuse for Genesis to be acting like such a petulant child. They would need to have a talk, if things got out of hand.

The hour passed by in quiet contemplation and the eventual finishing of a book.

**G-P-G-P-G-P-G- THE THIRD HOUR -P-G-P-G-P-G-P**

Children easily forgave and forgot, their rage usually shortlived in favor of other more worthwhile pursuits. Such was the case of one Persephone Hewley who had already forgotten her earlier anger at her favored uncle and had gone zooming down the hallway towards his office where she would spend the next hour as Sephiroth tended to his own duties.

"I'm back!" she called cheerfully, the finished 'Adventures of Boco the Choo and Bartz Klauser' held in her arms.

No answer.

Persephone blinked. Where was her uncle? Shouldn't he be there in the office? Frowning to herself, the girl entered the room, checking to see if she had walked into the wrong place once again. To the side were the stacks of books Genesis had gotten her at the last minute along with his knapsack, all arranged haphazardly on a coffee table. It looked like she was in the right place. Setting her book down, the girl thought that, perhaps, her uncle was hiding somewhere in the room, ready to pounce at the last second to scare her.

The small child checked all of the obvious places first; there was a closet off to one wall where Genesis kept his coats and extra sets of uniforms and another pair of boots. Getting lost in the sea of red that was inside the closet, Persephone concluded that the older man wasn't in there and decided to try elsewhere.

It was rather dim in the room, the curtains drawn over the tall windows of the room. Curious, she went to take a look there. And so it was behind the curtains that the child explored next, hoping to find the missing man who was supposed to be watching over her. Her results turned up exactly the same; her uncle was nowhere in sight. Not a glance of hair nor a peek of his long legs. Just where could he have gotten to?

A quick look under the large desk came up with nothing as it was for when she set her sights behind the couch and underneath the coffee table. Nothing, nothing and still nothing!

Well, the girl was determined to find her missing uncle. What if something had happened to him? What if he got attacked by big scary monsters? And he couldn't get away? The little girl was filled with worry and she frantically searched some more throughout the office, double checking places she had already gone through. Minutes passed by quickly, slowly becoming half an hour that had been lost when the automatic door of Genesis' office slid open as Persephone pondered over the probability of Genesis possibly having plummeted to the ground, somehow, face pressed up to the plexiglass that wouldn't budge for her.

The new intruder to the room stared amusedly at the girl as he silently walked in, careful not to disturb her as she worried rather senselessly, while considering impossible circumstances.

Quiet as a mouse, he tiptoed forward until he was arm's length away and grabbed her round her torso, causing her to scream in surprise. The girl flailed as she was swung up into the air, then deftly caught by strong arms clad in red. Persephone's small arms had caught hold of her captor's neck, afraid of being thrown so recklessly up into the air once again. Her grip would have been painful for any normal man, however, the man holding her was anything, but normal.

"Hello, little goddess. Back so soon?" Genesis said, smirking a little at his shaking niece. Persephone pouted—rather cutely, he might add—at him, surely mad that he had left her alone for so long and for scaring her so badly. Her eyes were shining with the beginning of tears and he wouldn't have that. "Did you finish your book already?" he asked quickly.

She nodded.

"Did you like it?"

She nodded again.

"Would you like another one?"

Another nod.

"...You're not speaking to me, are you?"

Once again, she nodded, but there seemed more depth to it.

Genesis sighed. Well, he got her mad at him twice in the same day. Nothing he could do about it, but let the girl cool off until she did feel like speaking to him. Being nasty once per day was enough for him (he was an antagonistic person by nature) and he got the need to be hostile towards her out of his system, so he could actually concentrate on being an uncle...loathe as he was to do it. He really didn't like children after all, but for Angeal he would move the stars. He had to remind himself that this was all for Angeal's sake.

He had to make nice. Who knew? Maybe the kid would eventually grow on him.

The hour passed by in silence as Genesis continued to think about ways to make it up to Persephone whose opinion of her favored uncle was slipping more and more each minute.

**S-P-G-S-P-G-S- THE FOURTH HOUR -P-G-S-P-G-S-P**

If it was possible young Persephone seemed even more upset than before, Sephiroth observed. The girl was giving the both of them a wide berth as they traveled to the mess hall together for lunch. While the two men were used to going through a day without nourishment or simply taking their midday repast some time later. However, small human children needed constant care and that meant they had to be fed on a regular basis, if adults wished for them to grow up big and strong.

_Or, in this case, beautiful and healthy_, Genesis mused, his thoughts mirroring Sephiroth's own, somewhat. While the silver-haired general contemplated what the nutritional value of the slop served in the mess hall would be and if it was adequate enough for a growing child, his red wearing commander was pondering about the girl's physical growth, which already promised much. He really meant it when he had said Persephone was pretty.

_Angeal's going to have his hands full when Persephone gets older_, Genesis thought in amusement, the corner of his lips curling upward. _The kid's already got that exotic half Wutai thing going for her and her facial structure is distinctly Eastern Continent...And blue eyes that stand out. Oh, yes. Angeal's going to have his hands full._

"Shall we take some seats over there?" Sephiroth inquired, pointing at an empty table in a corner. Not waiting for either adult to decide on an actual table within the rather crowded mess hall, their dark haired charge scampered off to claim the table and putting a lot of distance between herself and her uncles. The general blinked, then turned to look at his friend. "I am...not familiar with this kind of thing," he admitted aloud.

Genesis shrugged. "She's just annoyed with me." _And she's probably scared of you, still. Minerva knows why. _"Don't take it to heart," he added, when the other SOLDIER gave him an incredulous look. Swiftly, the ginger-haired man caught up with the little girl and took a seat next to her, forcing the girl to scoot over. Grinning, he played her little game and slid down the bench until she had nowhere left to go and fell down onto her behind most satisfyingly—

"Waaaah!"

"Persephone!"

—and then he realized that he was supposed to be behaving right now. But could he help it if the little whelp brought out the worst in him just by being there? He had no hate for the kid, but children simply irked Genesis in general and he always acted like a complete prick and it was simply too late for the older man to suddenly change his behaviour. Still, he had an impish grin on his face as he watched Sephiroth lift the girl up onto the table, so he could inspect her for any injuries, glaring at his friend from the corner of his eye.

The SOLDIER general studied the girl and found no serious injury, quietly relieved that the worst wound was probably to the girl's pride. No scrapes or bruises and the child held up well enough. Or perhaps was keeping a brave face for them.

The thought seemed more...adorable than Sephiroth would like to admit.

"So, what would our dear little niece like to eat?" Genesis asked, getting up his his stolen seat. His blue-violet eyes were on Persephone who still said nothing to him and was even pouting at her lap. She kicked her legs occasionally, not even making eye contact with Sephiroth. She really was mad.

Sephiroth looked at Genesis.

Genesis stared back at Sephiroth.

Both SOLDIERs shared a mental sigh. Their missions had taken on a difficult turn.

And so the fourth hour passed in much tension.

**G-P-G-P-G-P-G- THE FIFTH HOUR -P-G-P-G-P-G-P**

Somehow, Genesis had wound up with Persephone for another hour, despite a hissed discussion over the matter. Well, more like argument. With Sephiroth. While it hadn't been overly loud or ostentatious and they had the presence of mind to make sure that their charge didn't overhear them, but the tension between the two Firsts was palpable in the mess hall, making all the privates and officers nervous. An argument between Genesis and Sephiroth—without Angeal to mediate the dispute—was never a good sign.

In the end, Sephiroth had agreed to take on Persephone a few hours in order to allow the child to cool off and for Genesis to compose himself to a behaviour as fitting of a SOLDIER First class. Unfortunately, the general had been called to the labs for a surprise check-up by Professor Hojo and had rushed off after dropping their ward off in Genesis' office. Normally, the red-haired man did not mind (he even pitied silver-haired man whenever he had to be in the same room as the resident psycho of Shinra), but this rendered their solution moot.

And Persephone was still very upset with him. And _still_ wasn't eating.

Back when they were in the mess hall, Genesis could not coax Persephone into telling him what she wanted to eat. The girl stayed silent and sullen and stared at nothing in particular. It worried both men somewhat and they decided to get something simple that she could eat, when she was inclined to do so. The child was bound to get hungry eventually. Sephiroth remained with Angeal's daughter, while his comrade went to get them all food. Sephiroth and himself the salads (Genesis didn't quite trust the slop they called steak and mashed potatoes); a traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Persephone.

The men ate their food in general silence, not sure what they should say to one another at this point and Persephone nearly poked at her food, though she now sported a dubious look on her face. It was as if the girl was worried the sandwich was going to eat _her_.

It should have been his first warning that something was off.

Never in his life had he never met a kid that didn't like PB and J. Genesis used to never have something so simple as a child, until Angeal got him to eat one long ago. The idea that something like peanut butter and strawberry jam could go together in a sandwich had utterly repulsed him and he had refused at first, telling his best friend what he thought of the combinaion. Angeal, insulted that his friend didn't like such a classic sandwich, had forcefed it to him after a round of wrestling in the dirt. After the first few initial chews, he loved it.

Of course, he wouldn't be caught dead eating such an infantile meal now, but thoughts of the sandwich brought back such fond memories of the past.

So, the man did everything he could to get Angeal's errant daughter to eat her sandwich.

Wrapping it up in plastic wrap, Genesis had brought the small meal back to his office, leaving it out in the open for Persephone to take on her own. Unlike _some_ unrefined people, he would not hold someone's mouth open and shove food in there. It just wasn't dignified and heros didn't do such things. Although, if she kept frowning at the sandwich like that, he was going to do it anyways. Had her parents been so busy that they never even tried making something as simple as a PB and J for their daughter? He found it hard to believe. Her father wasn't Wutai and her mother worked for Shinra and one of them just have had a PB and J in their lives.

Genesis pinced the bridge of his nose and sighed. Great, he was getting so stressed from babysitting he was musing over the injustice of people never having eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He couldn't wait until he could go home and just not think about being an uncle to anyone or anything.

"It's not going to hurt you, you know," he said to her as she glanced furtively at her sandwich for the umpteenth time that hour. He was trying to do his paperwork again, with little progress, so occupied his mind was with little Persephone. "I know you're hungry, so just eat already."

Her stomach rumbled to prove his point and the girl put her hands over her it, as if that could stop the rumbling.

"Your dad used to eat those all the time, you know," he stated absentmindedly. "It was his favorite when he was a kid," he added for effect, knowing it would make Persephone react, if only a little. A smug smile crossed the SOLDIER's features as the girl shifted uncomfortably on her seat next to his desk, suddenly looking very guilty.

"...Really?" she asked quietly, pickingp the sandwich gingerly. Genesis smiled devilishly. Ah, the sweet smell of progress. Sure, it came from arm twisting, but he would worry about that detail later. And Angeal would coddle her when he returned, anyways.

"Yes, he really loves PB and J. Hasn't he ever made any for you?" he questioned. She shook her head. "Your mommy or daddy?"

Again, she shook her head, although she looked ready to cry, so he quickly changed the subject.

"I'm sure you'll really like it," he said, keeping up his smile. He received an incredulous look, but then the gaze of the six-year old was back on her lunch, which she began to unwrap. She held it for a few moments as he kept watch. The child bit her lip, then looked up rather imploringly at her uncle. Another warning he should have taken, a small signal that should have told him that he should have dropped it and gotten the girl something else, now that she was tlaking, but...

Persephone gulped nervously. "Are you sure I'll like it, Uncle Genesis? It's not going to hurt me, is it?"

Genesis chuckled. "Not at all. It might stick to the roof of your mouth, but nothing a little milk can't fix," he replied, his smile turning into that of confusion. He had seen children act rather poorly when it came to food they'd refuse to eat, for the main reason that their meal would taste bad, but this is the first time he had seen a child ask if it would hurt them.

He really should have paid attention to the signs.

"Really sure? Mommy and daddy said it's bad for me."

Genesis scoffed. "I'm sure they were just...kidding," he said, delicately. He didn't want to upset her by telling Persephone that her parents had lied to her. Honestly, parents these days. So careful with the upbringing of their children, they forgot that they were kids and that kids should have fun while they could and eat whatever junk they wanted. Then again, not everyone was a child of privilege like him, growing up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

"Really?"

"Really, really."

Persephone considered his words a few moments, then put her trust in him by taking a bite out of her sandwich. She chewed a few times, then swallowed the very small portion she had taken. Genesis waited with bated breath to see her delighted reaction and the inevitable tearing into the tasty treat as her hunger took over.

He hadn't expected the coughing and choking.

"Persephone?!" The older man was alarmed as the girl clamped her hands over her lips, which began to look red and puffy. They were _swelling_ up and he began to comprehend all too late what was going on.

He hadn't expected this to happen. No one told him this would happen.

"Persephone...Persephone, speak to me...say something!" Genesis was close to really panicking and only years of training and experience on the battlefield kept him from totally falling over the edge. But only just. No amount of blood spilt or limbs torn from limb in the heat of battle could have prepared him for this. He knew of allergies and their reactions and knew how to deal with them—it was basic training in First Aid. Everyone had to know, especially if they had a comrade that had allergies.

Genesis had only ever witnessed an allergic reaction once and the results had not been a pretty sight. Not at all.

Not wasting, he scooped up his niece and ran like a bat out of hell.

What few moments remained that hour was used to rush the girl to the emergency room some floors down.

**S-G-S-G-S-G-S- THE SIXTH HOUR -S-G-S-G-S-G-S**

Sephiroth could not believe it. It was highly improbable that this could be happening. Utterly impossible. And yet, it was happening, because he was rushing down to the emergency room. Running. He was running. Not walking quickly or even striding fast, but running down flights of stairs so fast it almost seemed like the man was _flying_.

He could hear it. He could hear it so clearly with his thrice-bedamned mako enchanced hearing. Her was voice so clear it was as if she was beside him, crying. Crying for her _mother_.

The general did not know what hurt more: the fact that he had failed one of his friends, because he couldn't do something as simple as caring for a child or the fact that a child was now in intensive care because of his carelessness, never mind that Genesis had been the one to give her the peanuts.

He sincerely wished he hadn't been pulled into a check-up with the professor. If he hadn't been otherwise occupied, he would have taken his shift with the girl and she would have eaten something else (an apple, some pasta, pizza, anything else, but peanut butter). If he had been there, she would be by his side still, healthy and safe, but still sulking. Sulking was fine though; sulking was better than being close to death.

The mail had come in some time during the good doctor had taken some of his blood and some other observations of his physique. The examination had taken longer this time, due to the old man asking him several inane questions that need not be asked of him. His observations and samples would have readily told what the doctor wanted to know of him. However, he suspected the interrogation was more of a test for obedience, rather than a pursuit of knowledge.

He never got the chance to read that mail. Genesis called him later on, after he exitted the labs.

And that was when he ran for it.

Genesis was outside in the waiting room, pacing a rut in the polished floor when Sephiroth had found him. He had shed his long red coat, discarded on one of the plastic chairs set-up on the side. His gloves were also haphazardly thrown on top. They were covered in something, but Sephiroth did not want to confirm _what_ exactly. What he wanted to know was Persephone's condition.

"Genesis!"

The commander stopped his pacing, turning to face his superior. "Sephiroth," he greeted quietly, rubbing his arms. "You finally came."

He paused.

"Took you long enough."

"I was engaged."

"I'm sure you were," Genesis stated bitterly. Sephiroth took no offense to this though, because he knew for a fact that the older man had a habit of biting back at people whenever he felt upset or angry. Even to him. The best way to approach the situation now was with patience; Angeal would chew him out later and he wouldn't stop him.

He wondered if Ageal knew yet; he asked and Genesis said he hadn't called him yet.

"Do you want to be the one to tell him his daughter just got poisoned?" the ginger-haired SOLDIER snapped, frustrated with himself. He had just failed in the one thing his best friend just asked him to do and he failed miserably. The doctors had said that he had barely gotten her down to them in time to administer the epinephrine; her reaction to the peanut butter she had eaten was severe enough that she could have died. They were keeping an eye on her right now. They also said he wasn't allowed near her for the next while, because he could still have traces of peanuts on him, which explained why he had taken off his coat and gloves.

It felt wrong to Sephiroth that they were hiding somthing so important from Angeal, considering he would find out anyways when he returned later that evening to pick up Persephone. He even said so.

Genesis retorted with the same question. Feeling a bit irritable, Sephiroth changed topics.

"Did you know she had an allergy to peanuts?" he inquired, curious. Angeal hadn't mentioned anything like this. In fact, he was sure Angeal had told them she had no known allergies. Then, perhaps, could it have not been known until today?

Genesis shook his head. "No..." he replied. "He didn't say she did...but..."

A tale was spun about the girl's odd behaviour two hours previous, about how she would stare at her lunch as if it would do her harm. He spoke of how she asked him if it was alright to eat the sandwich slathered in peanut butter and jelly, looking for all the world like a girl about to face execution. He also lamented how he should have noticed the little signals she gave him. Those small little signs that told him something was wrong and she gave them to him this way, because she had no idea how to express herself about her allergies. She had known and had tried to tell him and he didn't listen.

"Angeal's going to kill me. And he's going to use his father's sword to do it," Genesis, beginning to pace again. "And then he'll revive me and kill me again for getting blood, wear and tear on his prized sword."

Sephiroth sighed and shook his head. "I'm sure he'll be upset, Genesis, but I doubt he'd go as far as that..."

They both hoped that would be the case. Angeal was a lot less forgiving than people gave him credit for and neither SOLDIER wanted to ever seen an angry Angeal at their throats.

Genesis' phone rang. With great apprehension, he pulled it out from his pants pocket and checked the name as Persephone's wail suddenly pierced the waiting room through the emergency room doors. It was Angeal.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter goes out to Holy Wolf who specifically asked for Sephiroth and Genesis to suffer together. 8D

Also, sorry for not being around folks. If you think Genesis was acting OOC and freaking out too much, it was because, for the last couple of weeks, I was with my grandmother in the hospital nearly every day and I was freaking out and acting out of character and while I was there, I was writing this chapter. Things are better now, though.

And I know most reactions to peanuts aren't instantaneous as it appears here, but they do appear rather quickly, depending on the individual and the amount ingested. Some people don't even have terrible reactions to peanuts. Some just go away with swollen lips and hives. Others...well...It isn't pleasant.

Take it from someone who had to use an epipen on a friend when after she was stung by a bee when we were eight. D= Scariest thing to happen ever.

Anyways...next part: Angeal returns, Genesis bonds with Persephone and poor Sephiroth feels like a fifth wheel.


	7. Special: Valentine's Day

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **T

**Prompt:** Valentine's Day

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**Author's Note:** It's late, but I tried to finish it on time, I really did! Just a short ficlet that's not part of the continuity of the story. It was done...for cuteness and shameless amounts of fluff! Anyways...happy belated Valentine's!

**Special: Valentine's Day**

"_Love is a many splendored thing."_

There were many things that Sephiroth dreaded, despite what Shinra liked to have the people of Gaia to believe. The first, was intimacy, for he feared getting too close with anyone, lest the woman he cared for was used as leverage against him and he generally did not do well in settings that did not involve war in any of its forms. The second thing that Sephiroth feared was failure, which had been ingrained into his very being since birth, no doubt by the scientists that had raised him. He had a great aversion to failing at anything—his work, his friends, his soldiers, himself—and that led him to living life in a rather particular routine that was only disturbed, once in a while, by his friends.

The third thing on the list of things that the Great Sephiroth feared were holidays—holidays that his fans (and he knew he had them) could abuse in their favour The worst was always on Valentine's Day.

The general had no idea if his comrades ever had the same problem as he did, which was getting bags and bags of cards and chocolate he would never actually eat (it was much too sugary for his tastes and unhealthy besides). He usually just got out Old Reliable the Paper Shredder—it had been Genesis who had named the machine thus and the nickname had somehow stuck, even if Sephiroth never said it out loud—and slowly fed the cards into the shredder one by one. He then put the shredded paper into the recycling bin and forgot about them.

As for the chocolate, he re-gifted them to his Third and Seconds under the guise of an anonymous admirer.

Holidays like these were so frivolous and useless and held no meaning for him, a man who had been isolated for most of his life until he met Angeal and Genesis. And even after he had started to open up and be less rigid, it did not mean he enjoyed those holidays any more. After all, they were all men and from what Sephiroth understood, it was highly frowned upon for men to give each other gifts on this particular holiday, unless they were homosexual (in which case, it was fine for them, but highly annoying for the general for that opened a whole other venue of cards and gifts he could receive from his fans).

He really disliked Valentine's Day. Almost as much as Genesis disliked children. And he _really_ hated them.

That was, until Valentine's Day actually had a point to it.

It was one fine Valentine's Day, wherein Sephiroth was quietly shredding away some gaudy cards when the sound of his door sliding open notified the man that someone had entered his quarters. The steps were polite, though much too light to belong to Angeal, whose steps could wake up the dead. And though they had a certain graceful step, the general was quite certain that it was not Genesis strolling into his office to heckle him about the Valentines he was destroying with the vehemence of an angry Behemoth.

The telltale sounds of humming only cinched who it was that had nonchalantly walked into his office.

Without looking behind him, he greeted the newcomer.

"Hello, Persephone," he said in the gentlest voice he could muster. The silver-haired man had been receiving coaching from his dear friends on how to deal with children (Genesis, surprisingly, had a lot of good advice on the subject of child care) and he knew that speaking kindly and in a non-threatening tone that he would progress a little in his relationship with his 'niece'. "What brings you here?"

The little girl giggled from behind him, telling the older man that the child was giddy about something. "Guess!" The child said in a sing-song voice that had grown on the general. Whenever Persephone started singing or using that tone of voice, it meant that the child was quite happy about something—or was up to Zack Fair levels of mischief. The boy was as bad an influence as he was a good one.

Another gaudy card went into the shredder, the cardboard ripped into satisfying pieces. Perhaps Sephiroth should have seen this as some sign of madness creeping up on him, but since Genesis was in the practice of ripping apart these cards as well, he thought it somewhat normal. Plus, the general could imagine that he was actually feeding something else into the machine...something more alive...with dark, greasy hair and thick, rimmed glasses...and a hunch...

"Uncle Se-phi-_roth_!" Persephone intoned, emphasizing each syllable of his name to show her annoyance at his sudden absentmindedness. The general could hear her bouncing at every word as well—probably a habit the child had also picked up from Angeal's puppy. His niece had never been excitable when they had first met, the year prior. Had it been that long already? Had eight months gone so quickly in the blink of an eye? It seemed like yesterday when the girl had suddenly shown up in their lives...

"I honestly have no idea," Sephiroth answered, finally, occupied as he was.

He could imagined the kitten-like pout the child was giving him. "That's no fair," she stated with an irritated air, one obviously inherited from her _other_ uncle, one Genesis Rhasphodos. The man often read with her whenever they were together and she parroted everything she heard come from the man's lips, her accent becoming a lot like his, much to Angeal's obvious disdain. The little thing could probably recite Loveless without the aid of her uncle's beloved book now, as it was the two's most used material for practicing Persephone's reading skills.

"You have to guess! That's how things are done!" Persephone insisted. Sephiroth chuckled.

"Well, if that's how things are done, then that's how things are done." The man slowly turned to give the girl his full attention, knowing full well that the destruction of the affections of his many adoring fans could wait. However, what met his gaze made the general's brow furrow in confusion.

Pink. Lots of it. And spangles and ribbons and lots and lots of tasteless lace. The outfit that his niece wore was so ridiculously feminine and obnoxiously pink it actually offended Sephiroth's heightened eyesight just to look them them. No, not offend...he was certain his irises were _burning_ at the sight of this horrendous dress she was wearing. A rather obvious question niggled at the back of his mind as he stared at his little niece, all decked out for the holiday of Valentine's, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to know where on Gaia that particular article of clothing had come from. He had his guesses, though.

The child had a large grin on her face, her hands conspicuously behind her back. She had something for him and Sephiroth wasn't oblivious enough not to realize what it was and he instantly felt his stomach drop.

It was too late to hide the evidence of his recent activities. Especially when he had some glittery residue on his usually pristine black trench coat.

However, the girl continued on as if there was nothing amiss.

"Well? Come on! Guess! Guess!" Persephone implored, barely able to hold in her excitement.

Staying neutral, Sephiroth made his first guesses, wondering what he should do at this point.

"Did your Uncle Genesis foist off some paperwork onto you?" he asked, mind racing a mile a minute. If Sephiroth were the type to sweat in tough situations, he would have sweated bullets. There really was no precedent for this situation, so the general was at a loss as what he could do, except play along for the next little while.

"No!" chirped Persephone.

"Well, then...perhaps your father has left a message with you?" came the next question. He smiled gently down at his adopted niece, wondering what would be the appropriate course of action. Logically speaking, he could politely decline anything given to him by the little girl this day, although he would risk the possibility of hurting her feelings. While a bunch of faceless women could send him a million love letters were easy to ignore, knowing he had caused pain to someone he knew did not sit well with the general. That and Angeal would not speak to him if he caused Persephone distress again, after what had happened during the _Incident_, concerning Genesis and a peanut butter sandwich. And then there was that one time with Hojo..._never again_.

"Uh-uh! Try again," Persephone stated, giggling. Sighing, Sephiroth sat on the edge of his desk—well, more like lean against it—crossing his arms as he rattled off several suggestions as to what the girl would be hiding behind her back, while he mentally planned out what he should be doing as to avoid insulting his niece.

"Zack gave you candy again." What to do...What to do...

"Zack isn't allowed to give me candy anymore. Not after papa found cockroaches under his bed."

"Doctor Hollander has been smuggling you Banora Apple Juice?" Somehow Persephone would know if he just trashed her gift to him, like all the other ones, as he was wont to do. It just wasn't in the general's nature to keep such sentimental, frivolous things.

"Is that why my juice has been tasting sweeter?" The girl made a face, to which he smirked a little. The girl had the same distinguishing tastes he had; Sephiroth had never been one for sweets, though there had been exceptions from time to time. Like jam on rice cakes, which, coincidentally, Persephone liked as well.

"Most likely...I do believe Doctor Hollander has a grand daughter complex of some kind," Sephiroth replied, not know what else to say. And it was all for the best, the silver-haired man surmised. The general didn't know how much longer he could delay the inevitable and thought it would be best if he just bite the bullet and get the whole Valentine's mess over with. With any luck, he could at least hide the card until the girl forgot all about it and he could quietly dispose of it, before anyone could witness the upcoming glittery monstrosity he was bound to receive from his well-meaning niece.

The general made a show of shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head to the girl, who grinned all the more.

"I give up, Persephone. What is it?" he inquired, bracing himself for the glitter and the sticky glue and the really shiny mess of a six year old's handmade card.

Beaming, Persephone showed her hand to him, surprising the general for the second time that day; that was no easy feat.

In her tiny little hands was a orb of such spherical perfection, that it could put any machine calculated circle to shame. Glowing incandescently, it also caught the artificial light of the office, bouncing it off and creating quite a nice little light show. Something shifted inside, as if it were alive; the colour of the Lifestream was vivid inside the crystal orb. And it was her gift to him, carefully wrapped by a white ribbon with a small tag attached to it, his name painstakingly written in a child's scrawl.

It must have cost the girl a pretty gil to get him this gift and the practicality of it touched Sephiroth more than he could say. It mustn't have been easy for the little girl to go out and buy this materia on her own; although new materia was inexpensive now and even someone from the slums could afford to own one or two of them for safety purposes, but for Persephone to have had enough...

Moving forward, Persephone handed over the gift to Sephiroth, smiling all the while.

"It was hard figuring out what to do. I only had enough for one gift," the girl explained, confirming the general's suspicions. She must have ignored Genesis and Angeal in order to be able to afford him this one single Valentine's present. From simply holding the materia, the SOLDIER could tell that it had yet to be used and would require time before it could be mastered. A simple Cure materia. A materia with all the sentiments of a little girl. "But...papa says I'm all he needs, so it's okay if I didn't get him anything."

The dark-haired girl smile sweetly, looking up at him with eyes so blue, yet green; like an ocean. They glowed with a life of their own, while his softened.

"And Papa Angeal says that Genesis loves himself so much that he doesn't need anything, too. Which is _weird_, but Uncle Genesis is _always_ weird." Laughter escaped petal pink lips and he couldn't help, but smile along, as he was swept into the child's own pace. Swiftly, she was pressed up to his side before he knew it, perched on the edge of his desk, carefully avoiding the papers strewn all over the place. Her eyes were on the glowing stone in Sephiroth's gloved hands.

"And I didn't know what I should do about you...but papa said that you didn't like Valentine's...." She gave her uncle a sidelong glance, eyebrow raised questioningly. "...Papa didn't say why though...I told papa it was sad though and that it wasn't fair I couldn't get anyone a card or chocolates or anything...so...I tried to..._think about the box_." The last words had been forced out, as if spoken from a long forgotten memory; the girl's face was scrunched up in concentration as she tried to recall what she meant to say at that moment.

"I didn't save a lot of my allowance...so I could only get one thing...but I had a lot of...um..." The girl hesitated a moment, trying to find a word in which to express her current train of thought. Helplessly, her eyes searched his for the right word and he supplied her with an appropriate one, a gentle expression on his normally stoic face. In that one glance of her eyes, he knew what she meant.

"Precious people?" he asked, raising a hand to stroke the girl's hair. He found the action rather soothing and kept at it, his other hand holding onto the Cure. Beaming, she agreed wholeheartedly.

"Yes! Precious people. Even if no one wants anything, it's the thought that counts, right?" Another look was sent the general's way and he nodded in agreement. There was something noble in thinking for others happiness, rather than your own. Of course, what did it mean when he shredded all of those cards and letters? "Still...I had three precious people and only a little bit of allowance. So I thought and I thought and I thought reeeally hard about it...And then I thought about how papa is always going out on missions and I worry he could be hurt. And then I remember that Uncle Genesis has to go, too and so do you and I wanna cry thinking about it."

Persephone rubbed her eyes quickly, swiping at them with the back of her hand. She didn't want to cry in front of her uncle, so had to hide her distress by trudging on.

"So I thought...maybe I can protect them somehow! But...I'm really small...and I don't know how to fight with a big sword like Papa Angeal, so...um...I bought this!" Persephone pointed to the materia, which continued to glow merrily in Sephiroth's grasp.

"Zack told me all about materia and said that they were all kinds and filled with special magic—" Sephiroth actually snorted at this, imagining all the ways the boy was corrupting his mentor's one and only daughter. Also knowing about the nightmare Angeal had about Persephone marrying Zack only made this whole affair more amusing. "—and that there was one that could even heal people when they get hurt! So...Zack help me got this one..."

She took a deep breath.

"...for everyone."

Sephiroth stared at her and she smiled back.

"Papa says I'm all he needs and Uncle Genesis has everything he wants and I know you don't like Valentine's, Uncle Sephiroth...but...Valentine's day is also for people to show that they care, right? And I care a lot. I care about my papa and my uncles and my mommy and daddy, too...wherever they are. I wish I could have gotten them this materia then..."

Persephone looked away a moment and Sephiroth felt a strange pang in his chest; it was akin to being stabbed in the abdomen with a knife and the very same blade was being wrenched out. It was truly and unpleasant feeling and it took the man the better part of three seconds to realize what this meant; he felt her pain there and his heart sympathized. Although she was smiling and acting all cheerful in the face of this one simple holiday, but for a child like Persephone...the holidays—any one—were anything, but simple.

Even on a day as obnoxiously cheery and bright as Valentine's, her heart still went out to her lost parents.

Time had really flown by. It felt like years since their passing and yet, also seemed like yesterday when the girl had waltzed into their lives and became a part of their impromptu family. And yet, those wounds had not ached. She seemed so brave, when one put things into perspective.

Sephiroth, with all the care he could muster, caressed the girl's cheek before gently pushing her chin upwards so he could look her in the eye and thank her for the gift.

"This is a wonderful present you've given me...to us," he told her, somehow able to comprehend her wishes. Yes, that was what she was trying to convey with this one materia...this one lone materia encompassed all that she held in her heart for him...him and Genesis and Angeal. This materia represented protection, care and her love for them; her wish that they would remain safe and be able to come back to her. It was...truly the most sentimental thing he had ever received...and one he would never throw away.

_I wonder..._Sephiroth mused silently..._I wonder if they are the same, too..._

Emotions and sentimentality; these were things he had never been allowed to nurture in himself. The ability to care and love freely was something that had been stunted before it had even the chance to sprout as a child. Sephiroth had grown up cold and alone, with only whispers of love to comfort him in the nights when even he could feel the sting of loneliness. He had been taught that anything outside of copulation and insemination in order to continue the human race was simply frivolous and unworthy of his notice. He had been told that love did not exist and was simply a chemical reaction within the body and nothing more.

But there was something to it all, right?

There was the love shared between two good friends who are loyal to a fault; there was love between family—even those with no blood ties whatsoever. There was more than one type of love as the very concept of it was not something easily defined by convention or science. It simply was, for better or worse; frivolous or no. It was a precious gift that came in all kinds of shapes and sizes and every kind of packaging.

"Thank you, Persephone," Sephiroth said with great emotion in his voice.

Persephone smiled. "You're welcome, Uncle Sephiroth."

S-P-S-P-S-P-S-P-S-P

Genesis could not believe the sheer amount of wasted paper that had piled up in his office all in the same day. It was as if the Red Leather and Study Group clubs had banned together to mob the post office the day prior just to send him all of those love letters and Valentine's day cards all at the same time that morning. It was a conspiracy, honestly. No one man should be allowed to get that much mail addressed to him in one day (even if he found it secretly flattering and it did mean that he was on his way to becoming a recognized hero in the eyes of the public).

Still, that did not stop the man in red from his usual holiday tradition of shredding all of the extremely gaudy ones, while using Old Reliable. Of course, Sephiroth had shotgunned it that morning at the sight of the first mail truck and had been using it since. It was late in the afternoon now and most of the Shinra employees had already vacated the building; most likely off to romance or spend time with their loved ones on this very marketable day.

By now, Genesis thought, that the silver-haired general must have finished using the paper shredder and considered borrowing it from him. And so, he made his way to the man's office, the demand already on his lips as the automatic doors slid open and allowed the redhead entrance into the immaculate office.

Well, no. Not immaculate, per se, but certainly cleaner than Genesis had expected it to be. The sight of Sephiroth's office had been so shocking though, that the words the commander had meant to say had died on his lips before he could even open his mouth to utter a single syllable. There were stacks of cards piled up neatly in a terribly stuffed OUTBOX, with an equally stuffed INBOX filled over the brim with letters and cards for Valentine's. Old Reliable was off to the side, forgotten and unplugged. And as for Sephiroth...

"Good evening, Genesis...may I help you with something?" the silver-haired SOLDIER asked in a bored tone. He sat in his chair, slouched forward, cheek cradled by his palm as his eyes remained riveted on the open letter in his free hand. "If not, well, you can help me sort out these letters and cards." The man gestured to the three leftover mail bags brimming with unopened envelopes; the OUTBOX seemed horribly disproportional to the INBOX at the moment. Not getting an answer right away, Sephiroth simply smiled at the utterly appalled look on Genesis' face incredulous face.

"If not, you're more than welcome to take Old Reliable and go back to your office. I won't be needing it for the moment," Sephiroth stated, still smiling at his friend's out-of-character silence. Sitting up straight again, the man picked up a materia that had been sitting on his desk, marvelling at it quietly, much to Genesis' growing annoyance. What was so special about one piece of untried materia, anyways?

The man couldn't hold it in much longer, disappointed somehow in Sephiroth for not partaking in their usual tradition of paper shredding as they had for the last few years.

"Did I miss something?" Genesis asked, staring intently at the general.

Sephiroth merely smiled and shook his head. He rolled the shining materia between his fingers, privately basking in its small glow, which would one day outshine the rest of his materia, with time.

"No, nothing important."

And that was that.

S-P-S-P-S-P-S-P-S-P

**Author's Note:** And that's it. XD Lame, I know. And originally...Sephiroth WAS going to get one helluva monstrosity of a card with enough glitter to make the Goblin King of Labyrinth fame do a double take....but I decided to be nice.

AND NOW...BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED DRAMA!


	8. Special: White Day

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **G

**Prompt:** White Day

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**Author's Note:** Hahaha. Well, since I actually do celebrate White Day and decided that people in Gaia should, too, I decided to do this short little ficlet. XD Late as usual, but it's the thought that counts, right? Plus, wanted to write something else a bit more fluffy before continuing on with the main drama between Persephone and her three SOLDIERs. **Warning**...I butchered Sephiroth's character. Please don't kill me!

**Special: White Day**

"_The greatest gift is often the simplest."_

"So, Sephiroth...have you decided on a White Day present for Persephone, yet?"

"...What's a White Day present?"

Silence.

"Angeal, I do believe that we need to educate this man in the ways of the world once again, for I cannot believe that he could so easily forget such an auspicious day such as White Day."

"Like you're one to talk, Genesis. You hate holidays."

"I do, but I _hate_ the sight of sad children even more."

"Oh, how very noble of you, thinking of the children, Genesis."

Sighing at the banter being tossed around in his own office, Sephiroth spoke up before either men could continue. It was simply too early in the morning to have to deal with the pseudo-serious antics of his best friends. "Would somebody _please_ tell me what you're talking about?"

And this was how it all began.

It was March 14; a day like any other day, or so he had thought. The general's friends had shown up in his office, asking him if he had decided on a present for their little ward, one Persephone Hewley, for a strange and foreign holiday known as White Day, which was set one month after Valentine's.

The concept of that holiday, he was told, was that those who received gifts on Valentine's would be able to reciprocate their feelings, or simply give thanks to those who thought of them on the previous holiday with a little gift on March 14. The gift would not be chocolates or roses or cards, though, from what Genesis had explained, for White Day was given that name for a reason and that what was returned had to be twice or three times as expensive as the gift received_._ It was a strange rule, but Sephiroth did not doubt it and Angeal had also added to the confusion by reminding them all that the gift should be white in color.

People made up such strange traditions for dates on a calendar, but Sephiroth went along with it, because he was in the practice of trying to be more like other people, if only so he didn't act so socially awkward around the only female he'd ever hang around of his own free will. It felt highly embarrassing when a six-year old told him what was and wasn't accepted by the social norm and it was not a feeling the silver-haired man wanted to repeat. He had had enough of _that_ when he had been a teenager, thank you very much.

And so, that was how the Great Sephiroth found himself walking around Midgar and intimidating a poor sales clerk in charge of a display of white teddy bears, in the middle of a large toy store, located in scenic Sector Six of the upper plate.

Sephiroth had left work early, choosing, for once, to delegate his work to someone else so he could make use of the bank account that had been set-up for him since Minerva knew how long. Ever since he had attained the rank of general in the SOLDIER program, he had been paid a ridiculous amount of money for someone who merely did as he was ordered and lived a fairly simple lifestyle. The man had only ever needed the necessities and nothing beyond that; a home, a bed and food. Sephiroth barely had any personal possessions that could give himself away, beyond a few albums with photos, bookshelves filled with military manuals, classic literature and science texts and a small collection of long swords. Other than that, his apartment in the complex shared by the officers of SOLDIER was filled with what one would need in order to simply _function_ in life, rather than live.

Of course, things rarely ever stayed the same way for too long. Life, when ignored long enough, would return in the long run to kick one in the proverbial ass to remind him to live again.

The soft green glow set in his bangle was that particular jolt of remembrance that someone was always waiting for him to return.

"S-s-sir...how about this one? It's got big blue eyes and a pink nose?" asked the clerk, holding up a particularly large stuffed toy with eyes as big as he said it was. Each glass eye sparkled in the shop's artificial light as they stared into Sephiroth's own mako-enhanced eyes. For some odd reason, though, the man felt uncomfortable facing such a toy and shook his head, frustrated with himself for his inability to choose a suitable gift for Persephone.

A soft sigh escaped the silver-haired man's lips and he shook his head.

"This isn't working out," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. If only Sephiroth had the sense to bring someone along with him such as Angeal or Genesis or even Zack Fair would have been preferable. The boy would have known what a little girl would have wanted straight away; he had helped Persephone find a gift perfect enough for him. Would he stoop so low as to ask his friend's own student for aid at this time? He was desperate for a clue, but he shouldn't be that desperate just yet.

_Yet._ Leaving the toy store behind (along with a very relieved sales clerk), the SOLDIER First Class was left to his thoughts as he wandered through the city of Midgar, deep in thought about his current predicament and the total ridiculousness of it all. There were days when he wondered how he got himself into this mess, but one shimmer of green would remind him exactly how and he would get an image of wide blue eyes and dark hair that had recently reached a decent length...long enough for people to stop mistaking poor little Persephone as a boy. And Angeal actually buckling down and buying her some more feminine clothes helped with that amusing little problem, too.

Director Lazard was still feeling the embarrassment of that mistake, as he recalled.

However, time was running out for the general as the day soon became night and quite a few shops had closed by the time he had simply decided to give up. It was five-past-eight and little Persephone would be getting ready for bed right now, taking a bath with Angeal. The silver-haired man sighed, disappointed in himself for failing at something as simple as buying a present. He was Sephiroth..._the_ Sephiroth, as most would say. He did not fail. He did not flounder. And yet, he was incredibly stumped in a task as simple of gift giving.

Maybe he should just buy the girl a practice sword and get things over with, though his friends would declare that cheating if they knew. It wasn't truly the price of the gift, Angeal would say with Genesis arguing with him that it _was _the price, but the thought that counted. The sentiment behind the present that made it something special and Sephiroth should be able to understand the concept of sentiment, all things considered.

Desperate, Sephiroth had called Zack once during the day to get his advice on the matter, but what the boy had said did little to help him out.

'Sometimes the best gift is the simplest'; that was the vaguest piece of advice anyone had ever handed to the general, though, in the end, the best thing anyone had ever suggested to him.

Walking back towards Sector Eight, his eyes caught sight of a store he frequented when he had the time for it. It had been a while since his last visit and feeling somewhat despondent, he entered the shop, the door chiming at his entrance. It was an accessory shop owned by a family of craftsmen that had moved from the old country when Midgar had been first built, their wares unrivaled and rare. Pricey as well, but money was not something he lacked and used when needed.

The shopkeeper, a man in his late fifties, greeted Sephiroth respectfully with a gentle incline of his head, which the SOLDIER returned in kind. There were many things on display in the store in glass cases, all made painstakingly by hand. The general had always admired those who were skillful with crafting and creating, using tools and their bare hands; he had an affinity for anything handmade (that wasn't covered in glitter and obnoxious sparkly pink heart shaped stickers).

Sephiroth had been meaning to come back here to pick up a new bangle with more slots in them, for his materia. Because of Persephone's restore materia, the SOLDIER First Class had to remove one of his standard issue materia in favor of hers. Though it wasn't one he used that often, he preferred having all of his mastered materia on hand at all times. However, if he used his old bangle, there would be no room for Persephone's gift and what kind of uncle would he be if he didn't keep it close to him as well?

It was while looking at a display of diamond bangles that something above the glittering jewelry caught his eye.

It was simple, yet had a certain class to it. A kind of elegance befitting a lady of a high station, while being practical in its uses; it was also a pearly white in color. Gently taking the item in his hand, he felt that this little thing would suit Persephone just beautifully. She would love it, he was sure.

Taking it to the register, Sephiroth had it rung up and gift wrapped.

_The next day in Angeal's apartment..._

"How's that?"

"Is it on, okay? I don't wanna lose it!"

"It should be fine."

"Are you sure...?"

"See for yourself, Persephone."

The little girl was picked up and placed on top of the bathroom counter where she could see herself in the mirror. Both father and daughter were admiring the present given to her by the girl's uncle, the same man who was hanging by the door with a soft smile on his lips as he watched them. The dark haired girl regarded herself at every possible angle her neck would allow her as an elated expression came over her, telling Sephiroth that he had done quite well.

Her small hand touched the lovely silk ribbon tied into a bow behind her head, caressing the soft fabric reverently as she smiled into the mirror. Catching her uncle's almost fond gaze in the mirror, the girl child beamed, sure that he would be able to see her smile in the mirror.

"Thank you, Uncle Sephiroth. I'll wear it all the time!"

Jumping down from the counter, Persephone raced over to the silver-haired man and tackled his legs with a hug.

Petting her head, Sephiroth smiled warmly at her. The girl stared up at him, a perplexed look in her wide blue eyes. Still smiling, the general tilted his head curiously at her, questioning why she looked so confused silently. Picking up on it, somehow, the girl broke out of the trance she had been in and giggled, cuddling the older male as Angeal watched them, surprise coloring his face as well. When Sephiroth saw how his friend was looking at him, his usual passive expression returned.

"What?" the man asked, a fine brow starting to rise. Persephone just giggled more.

"Tee-hee. It's okay, Uncle Sephiroth. Daddy's just surprised you gave me two gifts instead of one today," the girl explained, confusing her uncle. Two? How in the world did he give her two presents when he most assuredly bought her one, which was the white ribbon that now adorned her hair. The six year old just sighed in exasperation.

"Well, big brother Zack," she began, giving Sephiroth a distinctly bad feeling he was about to be lectured on social norms again, "once told me that you don't smile a lot, Uncle Sephiroth. Or you don't really smile. You just kinda...itch?"

"I think you mean twitch, Seffie," Angeal corrected, having recomposed himself. Thoughtfully, he looked at his daughter, then at his comrade in arms, regarding the younger man quietly. "But you're right. Your uncle doesn't smile a lot."

Persephone nodded. "Uh-huh! And just right now...you _smiled_ Uncle Sephiroth. Really, really smiled. And it's really rare and precious and, well...thank you. Thank you so much Uncle Sephiroth," she chirped, stunning Sephiroth with her words. It was a first, truly. Never in his life had he ever been rendered speechless, much less by a child who hadn't even reached puberty yet!

It boggled his mind how something as simple as a smile could bring someone so much joy. It had been a simple enough reaction to the girl's charming little expression as she took in how she looked with the hair ribbon. Her eyes had sparkled with joy and something warm had filled his heart and nurture that gentle smile he had given her before. Though he was not her favorite uncle (Genesis still held that title _somehow_), he deeply cared for this girl - probably not as much as her father did, but he cared and he could almost imagining loving her as his own. Persephone would be the daughter he would never be allowed to have and Sephiroth understood he was blessed to have her present in his life.

She was very precious to him. If the girl weren't, he would have shirked his responsibilities onto someone else to spend most of yesterday wandering through Midgar trying to find her a White Day present to tell her that...he cared for her, too. That he wanted to protect her, the way the child so desperately wanted to keep him and the others safe. That he adored this little slip of a girl more than words could say or he would allow himself to admit out loud.

Who knew he could convey all that in a smile?

He had kept an interest of the child, because of Angeal; he remained the uncle because of her.

Slowly, he bent down and gently pulled her to him, wary of how he held her. Persephone was so small and so soft; like a newborn chocobo. Her arms, more confidant and sure than his, wrapped around his neck with a strength he didn't think possible of a fragile-looking child like her. This precious, brave child.

Smiling again, as Angeal watched over them, Sephiroth whispered to her,

"You're welcome, Persephone."

P-S-P-S-P-S-P-S-P-S-P

Yeah...random fluff abounds! Just felt like doing something fluffy because I feel awful.

Also, considering something for a future chapter...Persephone's First Love. A legitimate one this time and not Angeal having a nightmare sequence. XD However! I think I'll make this one a special...because I'll pick the most interesting character from ANOTHER series as her first crush. And you guys get to choose! Exciting, right? So send me a few lines via PM with suggestions of characters from other series! Like...I don't know...Kingdom Hearts or Lost Canvas. Anything and anyone. Go nuts!


	9. Family

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **T

**Prompt:** Family

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**007. Family**

"_In some families, 'please' is the magic word. In our house, however, it was 'sorry'."_

Angeal had been having a good day. It was so good, in fact, that not even the disturbing hate mail he had received from an unknown contact about SOLDIER being a den of monsters could ruin his good mood.

He was getting to spend time with Zack after weeks of ignoring the poor boy and foisting him off on the nearest instructor who was willing to take the young SOLDIER under their wings, until the whole business with Persephone had been sorted out. And the two had gotten along rather well when they first met that morning in his office. Zack had always seemed the type to get along with children and Angeal's little daughter seemed quite taken with the older boy. A bit _too_ taken, which had prompted some rather odd behaviour on his own behalf, to be truthful (that nightmare he had about Zack marrying his daughter had yet to leave his mind).

The First Class SOLDIER would have to make it up to the two of them somehow; probably bake the two something sweet to share when they got to Angeal's apartment later in the evening. Of course, it couldn't be too sweet, because Persephone didn't have a taste for sugar, despite being excited at the sight of the candy Zack had offered the little girl that morning. Perhaps it was the offered gift she had been excited at, rather than the candy itself. She had been ridiculously happy to receive something as frivolous as licorice. Angeal suspected more 'bad parenting', as Genesis would put it, on the part of the girl's original parents, if something as small as sweets could make the child's eyes sparkle.

Still, Persephone didn't like anything with too much sugar in it and Zack _did_ like having enough sugar to rot his teeth out, so there was a dilemma there. Perhaps he should just make a quiet, normal dinner for them to unwind with cookies from the last batch Angeal had baked and something less sweet for his daughter, as dessert.

Vaguely, Angeal remembered that his little girl had once eaten a (tasteless) rice cracker that Sephiroth had given her once during lunch and really enjoyed it. Those things had high nutritional value (according to the labels, anyways), but tasted like dirt in Angeal's opinion. However both the general and his little girl seemed to enjoy snacking on them as if they were gourmet cake. Odd that...

Zack and Angeal had been patrolling the badlands for their training trip that day. While using the VR room on the 49th floor would have worked, the gruff older man wanted his student to be grounded in reality and to know the difference between real experience in the battlefield and fighting against phantom enemies. In real life, there was no reset button. Once a mistake has been made, fatal or otherwise, it had been made and can never be taken back.

Such words that were meant to be encouraging, rather than admonishing or condescending, seemed almost hollowed and worthless in the face of Angeal's own reality at the end of that superficially good day.

It was time for the two of them to head on back to HQ, where Sephiroth and Genesis had to be as eager as his daughter to see him. Zack was packing up their things as Angeal contemplated calling ahead to tell them to meet back at his apartment; they could have dinner together and he could formally introduce his friends to his 'other child', a boy who would one day come to work with them as a fellow First Class, if Angeal could help it.

The screen of his phone had a picture of his daughter posing with a peace sign next to one of his plants. He had taken it a few days after Persephone had settled in her new home. If he recalled correctly, his surrogate daughter had named the plant at her right 'Bobby' and it was prone to forgetfulness...or was that 'Billy'? The child had made as many names and personalities as there were plants in their spacious apartment home and it was getting harder and harder for the young father to remember which plant was which.

Even if they were _his_ to begin with.

"Gonna call her, Angeal?" Zack asked, having finished packing their things into the small truck his mentor had borrowed.

"And how," Angeal began, "may I be able to call a six year old who doesn't own a cell phone, Zack?" The older male was teasing his student and the boy had the good sense to just brush it off and laugh in his usual way. Still, he had put off ringing up Genesis long enough and the SOLDIER was growing rather anxious to hear his child's voice again. He had expected his cell to keep going off every minute of the day with reports of disaster from Genesis or Sephiroth (he would have thought of Persephone calling, too, but she didn't know how to use a phone just yet, something he would have to rectify when he got home).

He dialled Genesis' number, before putting the phone to his ear, hearing it ringing as he walked over to the truck, Zack bouncing behind him. The young SOLDIER had done well this day; the trip through the badlands had been a good experience for him and had shown just how well his puppy was doing. Zack still had the problem of a waning attention span, as the boy had no problem listening to him explain how things should be done, he would do as he said at first, but then change them out for methods of his own. It was fine, though, because it meant that the boy could think outside the box. The bad thing was that he did not do as he was taught and discipline was one part of being a proper SOLDIER.

Well, it was a good thing Zack was still in his mentoring period; who knew what kind of trouble the boy would have gotten into, if left alone to his own devices.

The phone rang a few times before Genesis finally picked up the line.

G-S-P-A-Z

"I can't believe you let this happen!"

"Angeal, it was an honest mistake..."

"No, it's alright, Sephiroth. I can handle this."

"You had _better_!"

There were many ways, Genesis knew, in which one could describe Angeal Hewley. One was that he was an honourable man who always did what was the good and right thing to do. The second was that Angeal was a family man; he treasured the bonds of family and accepted those truly dear into his heart as relatives, whether they shared blood or not. And the third most obvious way to describe Genesis' long time best friend was that his temper flared like Bahamut right before it came down on their heads with its signature move, Mega Flare.

All Genesis could do was to bare with Angeal's rage until it burnt itself out. It was the least he could do for his best friend. Genesis had been responsible for Persephone's safety and he had been remiss in allowing her to become so gravely ill in such a small span of time.

The burly SOLDIER was close to ripping his hair out as he paced madly back and forth, like a caged animal. His muscles were tense, his hands clenching as he fought to keep from strangling his friend. "I just can't believe you Genesis...I knew you didn't like children...I knew better, but I believed in you anyways. Why..._how_?"

"To be fair Angeal, he didn't know. None of us did. I'm not sure even Persephone understood how grave her situation was."

"The hell she –"

The dark haired commander's rant was interrupted by the high pitched wail coming from the ER, making all the SOLDIERs present wince at the sound. The doors were closed tightly, to keep outside influences from infecting or hurting the patients – or rather, patient in this case, since Angeal's daughter was the only one there that evening – but the girl's cries were as clear as if she were standing right next to their ears and screaming at the top of her lungs.

After a little while, Persephone's cries ebbed into simple sniffles, placated by the company she had been allowed to keep while the adults had their discussion outside. Zack had been allowed to see to the little girl, having sworn he didn't have any peanuts on him or had eaten any with nuts in the last forty-eight hours, while Angeal confronted his friends. The dark-haired man shook a bit as he quietly reined himself him, his head cooling off until all he could do was fume.

He covered his face with his hands, unable to believe the whole situation. Silence reigned over the three friends; no made a move or a sound, the only thing any of them could hear was Zack's voice reassuring Persephone in the infirmary.

Angeal groaned, muttering about how he could have just allowed this to happen to his daughter, the child he had sworn to protect and care for when he had decided to adopt her. What could she be feeling now? What was she thinking? Did she hate him for leaving her behind in the hands of a careless, jealous Genesis and a clueless Sephiroth? Did his only child blame him for the suffering she was going through now? As much as Angeal would love to keep heaping the blame on his best friends' shoulders, in the end it had been Angeal who made the final decision. Plus it would be dishonourable to shift the blame to others when he had been at fault as well.

As if sensing his childhood friend's thoughts, Genesis spoke – _recited_ – lines from Loveless, though the words had actual inflection in them this time.

"_There is no hate, only joy for you are beloved by the goddess._"

"Shut-up, Genesis," came the snappy reply.

A pause.

"It was my fault, Angeal. She won't hate you for this."

Angeal sighed, dragging his gloves hands down his face. "She might as well."

Genesis shook his head. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Heaving an exhausted, exasperated breath, the dark-haired SOLDIER could only nod. "I know."

It would seem that Angeal had finally cooled down, his earlier explosion upon entering the medical ward of Shinra served its purpose in letting out his frustration at their circumstances. Chances were, if it were someone important to them – like Angeal, for instance – Genesis and Sephiroth would have done the same thing.

Another silence stretched out between the three men and no one was willing to say something else for fear of saying something awkward or stupid. In their current distressed state that would be hazardous and unfruitful for the one suffering the most because of them.

Vaguely, Angeal recalled the text he received while out in the wastes with Zack.

Den of monsters indeed; only monsters made children suffer.

"...You know, Genesis...I've always pegged you as a man who couldn't stand children," Angeal remarked, looking at his friend intently. There was no anger in his blue eyes, no discontent or disappointment, but the redhead flinched anyways. "I should have expected something like this happening."

"Angeal, I –" A hand up interrupted him; Angeal was not finished.

"I should have expected this happening...what with your past and Sephiroth's own inexperience. However...I know that the both of you are good men...and I know that neither of you meant for this to happen. I am...very upset, but..."

A wail pierced through the walls and into their years again, with Sephiroth being the closest to the ward doors and taking the brunt of the night ear shattering sound. When things quieted down, Angeal continued, eyes shining with worry for his daughter, but his expression steadfast as he said the words they all needed to hear.

"...Right now, I can't afford to be angry. Not while I know Persephone needs more than just me."

The gruff warrior's gaze swept from friend to friend, letting the words sink in, though he probably didn't have to. Both of these men, he would always trust his life to, when it came to the battlefield. The three of them had faced down more monsters and armies than anyone else in the world, had experienced so much despite their young years. Minerva, they were barely twenty-three, the lot of them and yet they all acted as if they were aged veterans at times.

But was it the right choice to entrust the small, precious life of a child to them, too?

That morning, he had thought so. He had been proven wrong – so very, awfully wrong – but there had been no knowing about Persephone's allergies prior to today. It had been no one's fault, except for her late parents for not filing in that information. Already cooled down after railing at Genesis, the commander was already on the road to forgiveness.

The true problem was regaining Persephone's trust. Would she return to the reticent child he had brought back from Wutai, after failing to rescue her parents? Would she lash out at them? The only way to know, was to go inside the ward and see for themselves.

The day had started out so well.

It hadn't been too hard to ask the doctor in charge to allow them to visit, but they could do that only one at a time. The patient was in a delicate state, physically and psychologically. Though she was far from death, any distress might cause further illness and a longer stay at the infirmary.

Sephiroth was the one to promise they would be on their best behaviour.

Zack came out, the usual bounce in his step a rather diluted imitation of what it usually was. The older SOLDIERs weren't sure if it was due to fatigue from a long day of training or because he had just spent the last little while consoling a very sick little girl, while her only legitimate relative screamed outside the door at the rest of their family. The boy smiled at them and asked which of them was going to go check in on her first. The Firsts all looked at one another, but the decision was quickly made.

Persephone would want to see her father first.

Saluting his mentor (and Sephiroth and Genesis), Zack excused himself to head back to the barracks – and to put a bit of distance between himself and the highest ranking officers in SOLDIER. This was a time for family, after all. The boy understood that and left as gracefully as someone like him could.

Even though he kind of wanted to stay behind and gawk at Sephiroth a bit; he was a well-known hero, after all, and Zack dreamed to be like him one fine day in the future.

Family came first tonight, though. Family before dreams. And for the pain Persephone was going through, only by having her loved ones around would the healing process go faster.

G-G-G-G-G

Days had passed since the Incident, capital letter and all, with little Persephone avoiding her uncles like a SOLDIER did his best to not run afoul of Malboros and Nibel Dragons. Whenever the child happened to come across either the general or his commander, she ran away in the opposite direction. _Ra__n away lik__e a spooked Gold Chocobo on steroids_.

The two babysitters had apologized for what they had done (well, what Genesis had done, really), but the girl seemed to have shut herself off to them. The only people she would tolerate was Zack and Angeal and even her own father was feeling the pain of a cold shoulder. It was the orphanage all over again. Zack was confident that this would eventually pass – children weren't in the habit of holding grudges for very long, he had told Angeal, who later on relayed his student's words of wisdom to his rather guilty friends.

All they could really do was wait this out the way one usually waited out a temper tantrum.

Only this was no simple tantrum and the girl had every reason to be leery of the adults around her. They almost killed her, for crying out loud. Unknowingly for sure, but ignorance was no excuse for putting a life dangerously close to an end.

This really had to stop, though. Persephone may be a child, but she couldn't possibly keep up this silence for long and the man in the red trench coat knew exactly what had to be done to get the colour back in her cheeks and her smile on her face. If only for Angeal's sake.

Well, that and Genesis still owed her for making the Day of the Incident with him and Sephiroth the most miserable one she'd ever have.

"_But as happiness grows, so does guilt of not fulfilling the oath to his friends._"

Honestly. The things Genesis had to do to keep their makeshift family together.

* * *

I am not happy with this chapter, but I needed to move the story along, finally. I'm sorry of the blahness of this chapter, but sometimes chapters like these have to come into play, otherwise there is a big standstill in the writing process and you get blocked.

It would seem that Genesis has a plan to get them back into the good graces of their little lady. I wonder how well _that's_ going to work.

Also, thanks for the submissions of suggestions for Persephone's first love guys! I'll consider them for when that particular chapter arrives! For now...onward to Genesis' convoluted plotting!


	10. Special: 89 Messages

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** T, mentions of character death

**Prompt: **89 Messages

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** As you all well know my grandmother had been struggling against cancer for a while and while taking care of her I could work on this fanfic a bit. Most of the time I'd be working on this was when she was getting her treatments. Well, as of September this year, my grandmother lost in her fight against cancer. So, I dedicate this small story for her. She was the one who taught me how to write in the first place, so you all can thank her for my interest in writing stories now. She was always supportive and was the one who basically raised me from infancy.

This chapter is small ficlet is not a part of the main story and may even be considered in the actual timeline of the FFVII Compilation, rather than the happier AU I've made. I know you're all anxious to get back to the main storyline, but I couldn't even bring myself to write any of that until I managed to get this down. And now I am sharing it with all of you. My way of dealing with the loss, I suppose.

I really don't like how I wrote this, but I tried.

Grandma, may you finally rest in peace. This is dedicated to you.

**89 Messages**

"Persephone, you have to let go."

"No!"

"Persephone…"

"Papa Angeal I have a bad feeling about this."

Angeal had no idea what he was supposed to do right now. His life was in utter chaos – more so than usual. Sephiroth was growing distant, Genesis had gone AWOL with a huge section of SOLDIER following him, his student had finally made it to Second class and his little girl was giving him the biggest pair of puppy dog eyes ever. And Zack's own were already bad enough. The child would just not let go of his leg, clinging onto it as if her life depended on it. This very morning she had woken up with terrible nightmares about mansions and fire and frightening angels with black wings, which resulted in her being a lot clingier than she usually was.

Which, when the burly SOLDIER thought about it, wasn't that much at all.

Something was upsetting his girl and it wasn't just a bad dream, but what else could it be? She had a bad feeling, but it could be anything at this point.

The man crouched in front of his daughter, gently tugging her away from him and holding her small tiny shoulders in his hands. Gaia, she was so small still. And the way she looked at him made him not want to go, but the dutiful person within him knew that this was what had to be done.

Angeal gave Persephone a pleading, patient look.

"Seffie. I have to go," he stated. Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. She didn't want him to go, why would she? He understood how she thought, though. Her biological parents had been shot down before her very eyes in a war torn country that had once been her mother's homeland. Her uncle had gone there naught, but six months ago and he had suddenly disappeared as well. And now her surrogate father was going there, too? If Angeal had been in Persephone's place, he'd be panicking himself.

Angeal gently wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks then held her for a few moments, just savouring the little time he had left with his little girl before he had no choice, but to leave. He stroked her hair and whispered sweet nothings, rocking her a little. There were sniffles that told the older man that she really wanted to just sob and wail and cry, but his brave Seffie kept it in, save for a few tears he could feel on the skin of his neck.

"It'll be okay."

"No, it won't. You won't be here anymore."

"Yes, I will. I'll come back, I promise."

She didn't believe him.

Angeal had to figure out a way to reassure his daughter that everything would be alright, but how?

The idea came in a sudden bout of inspiration. Angeal pulled out his phone and showed it to Persephone who peered up at her father with a confused, yet curious expression.

"Your phone," she said. He nodded.

"Yes, and you know the number. Now Persephone, I have to go –" The dark-haired girl made a small whine of protest, but the SOLDIER carried on. "– but it doesn't mean we can't keep in touch, right? You know my number so you can call me. Granted, I won't always be allowed to answer, but you could leave me messages. I won't be able to answer right away, but I promise I'll call you back. I'll try to check in with you as often as I can."

There was a considering look on the small girl's face; carefully weighing her options. It took her all of a minute to come to the logical conclusion that she was being silly and her father was right. Appeased as she was that her father wasn't going to drop off the Planet like so many others she knew, Persephone wasn't entirely convinced something wasn't going to go wrong.

"Don't worry. Zack will be there with me," Angeal tried, tenderly prying her slim fingers from his shirt. It was wrong thing to say as her eyes widened and her mouth opened with what was probably more protests, but he pre-empted her quickly. "And so is your uncle, Sephiroth."

That seemed to ease her troubles and she allowed herself to detach from her father's side. The little thing still seemed ready to burst into tears again, but did her best to stifle them as she gazed up at her father's form starting for the door again. Vaguely, Angeal wondered what it must be like to watch someone you love walk away from you like this; going off to war with the possibility of death hanging over theirs heads as long as he remained on the battlefield.

"Be safe, papa."

Angeal stood at the door. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at his daughter.

"I'll see you soon."

And he shut the door behind him, locking it before starting down the hallway of the apartment complex.

His phone rang immediately and he chuckled when he recognized the caller ID. He flipped his cell open and said wryly, "I've only been gone a minute."

"I love you!" Persephone's voice squeaked on the other end.

Angeal smiled warmly. That girl…

"I love you, too, Persephone. Now hang up. Your papa has to go to work."

**Beep - Messages - Beep**

Persephone had always been an obedient (mostly) girl who did her chores, did her homework without complaint and ate all of her vegetables and _liked_ it. However, she was also only eight years old, prone to loneliness and suffered from abandonment issues. No one could blame her for phoning her father at least one every few days to check up on him and leave a few messages on his voice mail. The SOLDIER did not call back right away – or at all – but the girl did not give up hope that her calls would eventually be returned.

No matter the terrible feeling she had in her stomach with each passing day. But the sound of her father's voice asking to leave a message always soothed her and though she did not always leave a message, Persephone often found herself dialling him up just to listen to that message play.

"_This is Angeal Hewley. I'm away right now, but if you leave a message at the tone I'll get back to you as soon as possible._"

**Message 1**

"Papa Angeal! How are you? Did you find Uncle Genesis yet? It's only been a day, but I miss you already. Miss Shalua comes in every day to stay with me, so don't worry. I'm not alone. Aaron comes over to play, too. So don't worry, papa. Just keep looking for Uncle Genesis."

**Message 2**

"I miss you, papa Angeal. Are you doing okay? I'm taking care of the plants. Sharon is wilting a lot and I don't know what to do. Miss Shalua doesn't know either. Please call back soon. Love you lots."

**Message 3**

"Papa, I'm worried. You haven't called back yet. I know you're busy an' all, but please, please, please, please, _please_ call home. Sharon misses you, too. I think she's wilting because you're gone."

**Message 4**

"Hello, Papa Angeal! I have a loose tooth! Miss Shalua helped me get it out, though. She made me bite into an apple and it popped right out without hurting! Miss Shalua says that if I put it under my pillow the Tooth Fairy will leave me ten Gil. I wonder if I could trade my tooth for you instead. Miss Shalua says the Tooth Fairy only trades teeth for money though…Do you think I have enough teeth to pay the company so I could have you back? I wouldn't mind eating baby food! Anyways see you so –" _Beep._

**Message 5**

"Papa I got your mail! But it's only a picture! Did you turn your camera on by mistake? Silly, papa! Next time, be careful, alright? See you soon!"

**Message 6**

"Hello? Papa? Where are you? You haven't called back in a while. Please call back soon."

**Message 7**

"Hello, papa. I miss you a lot. You promised you'd call, but I haven't gotten any messages. I get it if you're busy, though. Don't worry, though. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

**Message 8**

"Good morning, papa! Miss Shalua let me stay up late so I could call you at the right time. We were hoping to call you before you go somewhere, but I guess I was too late again. It's okay. I understand. Be safe, papa. I love you."

**Message 9**

"Just calling to remind you that I'm waiting. And I love you lots, papa. I can't wait until you come home."

**Message 10**

"Papa, I'm lonely."

**Beep – Message - Beep**

Angeal Hewley had not returned from Wutai. Neither did Genesis, though that thought did not trouble young Persephone as much as the idea that her father had gone missing as well. Sephiroth had been the one to give her the news with a cold detachment the girl had never seen in him before – not whenever he addressed her. Zack had tried to reassure her that things would be alright, that Angeal would come back, but there was this cold feeling of dread that filled her being.

And she ran.

Persephone had gone straight to Shinra Headquarters every day to see if her father had come back from his tour yet. She could not get any further than the lobby, of course, since she didn't have a keycard that allowed her access to the higher levels, but one of the receptionists recognized her as Angeal's daughter and had helped her call the correct departments every visit. She went every day for weeks in the hope of getting news where her home phone could not, but she had always ended up empty-handed and now _this_.

Angeal was gone, too.

She couldn't accept that though. She wouldn't. He promised he'd come home. He promised. He _promised_!

Running with no sense of direction had led Persephone to Loveless Avenue. Her feet immediately went to the nearest pay phone and she fished around in her pockets for change so she could call the well-practiced number of Angeal's phone. She heard the dial tone, her heart pounding in her chest. Each ring seemed to rumble in her entire being and all the dark-haired child could do was wait until someone picked up.

"_This is Angeal Hewley._"

A breath of relief escaped her. Angeal was fine. Her father was fine and well and safe and he was coming home and –

"_I'm away right now, but if you leave a message at the tone I'll get back to you as soon as possible._"

There was a tone and Persephone felt numb. She couldn't find her voice as the silence stretched on in the phone booth. Her hands shook terribly, so much so that the recorded message would have would be the telltale trembling of the receiver and the beginnings of soft sobs. Pushing herself, Persephone tried to speak, but could only manage some squeaks and choked sobs.

No, no, no. This couldn't be. It just couldn't.

"Papa…"

The girl let out as wail as she slid down the wall of the phone booth, her heart unable to comprehend the reasoning of why her father would leave her like this. By the time Sephiroth and Zack had found her, Persephone had unloaded a week's worth of her allowance into the payphone and had left a good dozen messages on her father's voice mail.

**Beep – Message - Beep**

Sephiroth had taken temporary custody of Persephone, leaving Zack to do the legwork on finding Angeal. Although the second had protested this profusely, the general countered any complaints that their ward needed stability right now, in her time of crisis, as well as a few other issues. As their friendship was not a secret, the board of directors would not allow the Silver General to personally lead the investigation concerning Genesis' defection and Angeal's sudden disappearance.

Zack did not like this, but had relented in view of what happened and had gone to Banora along with Tseng in search of more clues concerning Genesis and Angeal. It was their hometown; a place that his mentor had always wanted to show his little girl, but now a place she would never get to see as long as her only parent was missing in action.

This was such a terrible time.

Persephone had taken to calling Angeal every day now at every chance she got. Sephiroth questioned this and wondered if the girl had developed some kind of nervous habit, but Shalua, the girl's caretaker, said that this was a natural reaction for Persephone; it was the only way she could cope with her father being missing for so long without contacting her.

The girl couldn't help it, though. Her father had promised to return to her and he had always been a man of his word. Plus, to simply just get up and leave a child alone without so much as a word? It was very unlike Angeal who was morally upright and responsible.

One day Sephiroth had to leave for negotiations with Wutai dignitaries. But he had the foresight to give Persephone a phone. Most people would question giving a child such an expensive piece of electronics, but he knew she needed this lifeline. Not only for calling Angeal to ease her nerves, but to also reach him if she needed it. It was a practical, if slightly extravagant gift that some people might accuse was enabling the girl, but Sephiroth would immediately quell any flapping lips pertaining to his choices.

In stead of her father, Sephiroth would watch over Persephone until Angeal and Genesis returned.

Persephone was grateful for her uncle's thoughtfulness. While at school it was hard to get to any phones and with limited money, the girl could not use the public pay phones. Though she knew Sephiroth made more than he truly needed, the girl had tried to curb her need to hear her father's voice and settled for doing that when she was at home only. At school, she'd send him mails in the hopes he would have an easier time of responding to them. The girl could only hope the older man could forgive her inability to tap out a text on the unfamiliar phone keys.

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** (none)

'Hello p2p2. Uncle Sephiroth got me a new phone so I could c2ll you. It's h2rd to write you mails but ill try.'

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** Hello

'Miss Shalua taught me how to mail. It isn't easy but just need to concentrate and learn how the numbers can be letters too.'

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** Miss you

'Papa, why did you have to go? Please tell me.'

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** Banora

'Zack came home from Banora. He looked really sad. He didn't want to talk to me. Do you know what happened, papa?'

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** Wutai

'Papa Angeal. The war is over now. Everyone seems happy. But I miss you still. Where did you go? When are you coming home? My birthday is coming soon. Uncle Sephiroth is nice, but it's not the same without you.'

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** SOLDIER First

'Zack became a First today. Just thought you should know, papa. He'd make you really proud.'

Persephone smiled to herself as she sent off the mail. Sephiroth had heard the news first thing that morning and had told her, so she could bake him cookies or something like that, if she wanted. As long as she didn't burn down the kitchen. Zack and Sephiroth had both been a balm to her soul in these turbulent times, especially when he presented her with the news that her father had been labelled as a traitor. Strangely enough, the girl hadn't overreacted about it as she had when Zack returned from Wutai by himself.

Somehow, she felt strangely at ease the last couple of days leading to Zack's promotion.

That morning she had found a white feather on the windowsill of her bedroom when she first woke-up. Seeing as it was so pretty, she kept it as a sort of bookmark; it was stuffed in her personal copy of Loveless. Shalua had mentioned that finding a snow white feather was a sign of good fortune and Persephone hoped that this was a sign that their luck would turn around.

She had it now, on her lap, as she sat in Sephiroth's office writing her mail.

Maybe, just maybe…her father would be able to hear her calls for him, finally.

**Beep – Message - Beep**

Eventually there came a time when Angeal's service had been cut. And that meant that Persephone could not hear his voice mail's message every time she called him. She could not hear his voice speak to her through the little speaker in her phone. But she did not lose hope and kept trying to send him mails. The man would have to get them eventually.

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** Miss you

'I miss you, papa. Call me soon.'

Keeping a stiff upper lip was always hard, especially in light of the fact that no matter how many mails Persephone would try to send, she would always get an 'unsent mail' text from her service provider. Hope was the only thing keeping the girl going right now…kept her from breaking down again in despair.

Patience, she'd remind herself as she made another text. Papa Angeal always said that patience delivered everything to you, or something close to that. She didn't remember and that worried her.

Persephone clung to the memories of his deep voice and stern, yet girl words.

_Patience, Seffie. Patience. Papa promised he'd come back for you._

**Beep – Message - Beep**

It was a rainy day in Midgar. The run from her school to the Shinra Headquarters had soaked Persephone to the bone, but she didn't mind. When she got to the lobby she was dripping water everywhere and her boots were squishing from the moisture trapped within. It was an unusually cheerful day for the girl as her best friend had come to visit her at school that day, when he would normally be busy with school work. So she entered the tall corporate building in high spirits that afternoon, telling her father about her day though he couldn't hear her voice anymore. Though the line was long disconnected, Persephone had the habit of still calling her father's number and speaking to it. An odd quirk, to be sure. She must have left over forty 'messages' now, for Angeal.

On most days the child had to get one of the lobby receptionists to call up Sephiroth so he (or another one of the SOLDIERs they knew) could come down to pick her up, but today, the general was already waiting for her, standing as still as a statue.

Their eyes met and Persephone knew in that one instance that something terrible had happened.

The whole first floor lobby was treated to the rare sight of the Great Silver General trying to soothe an inconsolable young girl who sobbed with everything she had. His leather coat did not soak her tears, rather they rolled down and joined the moisture already soaking her clothing from the rain outside. The man did not care what anyone thought of him, but knew how sensitive and vulnerable his niece was right now and picked her up, carrying her out of sight. To the safety of the elevator and, eventually, his office.

Persephone didn't know what was going on around her anymore, everything just a blur of activity around her after she had received the news of Angeal's death. How he had died, no one would say, but there was this dreadful feeling in the pit of the child's stomach that if someone told her the truth that she wouldn't like the answer. There was a memorial service wherein Zack avoided her at all costs, though she had no idea why. The older male looked every bit as miserable as she did – possibly even more.

She couldn't believe it though. Angeal couldn't be dead. He was a strong First Class SOLDIER! An elite fighter! It just didn't click in her young mind that a man like her father could be taken down at all.

It wasn't surprising that she returned to her nervous habit of constantly making calls to her father, demanding he call her back tell her he was alright and not dead and buried under six feet and lying in a casket and…

Gaia, why?

As the coffin was lowered and Sephiroth wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she watched her father be buried for the second time in her life, Persephone just couldn't take the fact that she had lost a father again. Turning towards her uncle, the girl buried her face into his coat and cried and cried for the man that would never come back to her, no matter how hard she shed her tears.

**Beep – Message - Beep**

"Hmmm…you really don't look a lot like your father, do you?"

"I'm adopted."

"Ah, that explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Your lashes are so long…I'm jealous."

Sephiroth watched as the Turk, Cissnei hefted up Persephone into her arms with no problem. For someone of such small stature, the female Turk was deceptively strong. Then again, while obviously still growing, Angeal's daughter was also quite small for her age. But she was also quite pretty, too. Looking at the girl's face, Sephiroth saw the promise of beauty and wondered what his friend would think if his daughter grew up to be a beautiful lady who attracted all kinds of men. Probably have a heart attack. Or become overly protective. Sephiroth couldn't help having this overwhelming feeling to protect his niece whenever he looked at her.

He couldn't understand why Angeal would leave her all alone like this.

"Hmm…I might even say she has your eyes, general," the brunette woman noted, staring into her new charge's face. There was a roundness that came with still having baby fat and her dark hair was obviously from her mother's side of the family, but her eyes? Yes, those big cerulean eyes were quite interesting…

Sephiroth scoffed at this. "Just take care of her."

Cissnei nodded. "Yes, sir."

That order done with, the silver-haired man looked upon his niece, probably for the last time in the next little while. There was a mission out in the Western Continent that needed his attention, so it was with great reluctance that he left. It had barely been that long since they had buried Angeal and Persephone still needed him to be there for her, but he could not refuse this one. The president himself had been extremely insistent that he went.

And so, he had sought help from the Turks. Zack had recommended Cissnei of the Turks, who apparently had a soft spot for children. Persephone's former nanny, one Shalua Rui, was no longer available.

"Persephone….I'll be home soon."

Persephone looked at him disbelievingly, which made the general wince inwardly. No child should ever have to sport such an expression at such a tender age.

"Wait for me." Always to the point. Even after all these years, Sephiroth found he had trouble expressing himself to others in a friendly manner. Though having Persephone around had helped the man some, her presence (along with that of his friends) hadn't entirely washed away years and years of socially awkwardness.

After a small stretch of silence, the girl nodded. "I will."

"You have my number," he reminded her, before sweeping out of the room to head out with Zack. It was time to head to their next mission…what was the town called again? Ah, yes. Nibelheim.

Persephone watched him go, step by step, her blue eyes memorizing every detail of her uncle as he left. She had her own phone in her hands, her thumb smoothing over the slightly faded keys. The little machine had been well used, though it carried a handful of numbers.

The young lady would eventually find out that Sephiroth's number was disconnected only a month after he left on his mission.

**From**: Persephone Hewley

**Subject:** They're all gone

'Papa Angeal…Sephiroth's gone, too. And Zack. You, Uncle Genesis, Uncle Sephiroth and big brother Zack…Why?'

**Beep – Message – Beep**

Persephone grew up under the care of ex-Turk leader Verdot and his daughter, Felicia. When it became apparent that the girl was up for grabs when Sephiroth had died in Nibelheim, Tseng and Cissnei had whisked the girl away to their hideaway in Mideel, before Hojo got it into his head to kidnap the girl and use her in his experiments. It was more in honour of Zack, rather than the Silver General or his comrades.

The girl child grew up well, after having adjusted to her new foster home. Verdot was kinder than he looked and Felicia was every bit the protective, doting older sister any girl might have wanted. Together they taught the girl everything they knew, training her in order to keep her safe from harm; Verdot always believed that a woman should be able to defend herself from hooligans (and monsters looking for a bite-sized snack). Persephone took to all of it well, becoming an upstanding young lady any man would have been proud of.

However, as the years passed, and world ending catastrophes came and went Verdot noticed something a bit off about his foster child. Something was holding her back, keeping her from fully enjoying her life. As if she was waiting for something…something that might never come.

Persephone lived her life, but not truly lived. She couldn't live until the ghost of Angeal Hewley no longer haunted her young soul. The old man expressed his worry over her and so did her friends at the WRO, when they were notified of her strange behaviour. After extensive nudging and prodding the young woman gave in to their wishes and tried to let go. It was no easy task, however.

But, eventually, she came to a decision.

Persephone sighed. Alright. Time to do it. No way around it.

She flipped her phone open and dialled the number. She placed the cell close to her ear and listened to the dial tone before an automated message played. '_This number is not in service. Please hang up or try again._' No matter how many times she would try, though, the result would always be the same. However, this would be the last time. It was high time she ended this. It had been a decade since Angeal had walked out of her life with the promise to return.

It took her a while, but she had finally decided to let go. She couldn't keep clinging onto Angeal's memory forever, lest he never be able to rest in peace.

Taking a deep breath, Persephone began to speak.

"Hey, Papa Angeal? It's me, Persephone. How are you doing?" she asked, starting to pace in the room she was in. On the one side there were empty booths, with the other side having a counter and a wall filled with liquor. The room was otherwise devoid of anyone else. The proprietor of this establishment was currently out and the regulars didn't normally show up until later in the evening. The dark-haired woman had the whole of Seventh Heaven to herself.

"I'm doing just fine." A pause and she stared outside at the slowly changing sky. The streets were also empty, a troubling sign. Then again, these were troubling times. "Listen, Papa Angeal…there's something I have to tell you…"

A sigh escaped Persephone's lips and she ran a hand through her jet black hair.

"Thank you, for everything. For taking me in and raising me and looking out for me and loving me _so much_. But…I'll be okay now. So don't worry. I'm…not alone."

A few tears filled her eyes and she sniffled.

"I've…sent you so many messages…maybe almost a hundred. Maybe eighty-nine. Telling you how I miss you and want you there with me…But I'll be fine, papa. I'll be just fine. So…yes. That's all I really wanted you to know. I love you and thank you so much and…"

She took a shuddering breath, then shut the old, worn phone.

It was over.

"Good-bye."

* * *

**A/N:** I apologize for this. If I made any of you cry with this, I am terribly sorry. The fanfic will resume its actual storyline, soon.


	11. Fixed

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** T, some violence

**Prompt: **Fixed

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** Thank you for your kind words everyone. I really appreciate them. And now, finally, back to the actual story. :) Last time, we left off on Genesis making an oath to fix the mistake he had done, which was almost killing Persephone. And now…he shall fulfill his oath to his friend!

**008. Fixed**

"_If it isn't broken, don't fix it._"

- - **Prologue - -**

_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end_

_The goddess descends from the sky_

_Wings of light and dark spread afar_

_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting_

**- - Prologue - -**

Honestly, the things Genesis had to do in order to keep their ragtag family altogether. But if it was for Angeal, Genesis would offer him the world, move the stars and re-arrange time itself if it was what his childhood friend had wished. One might doubt his ability to bend over backwards for the dark-haired SOLDIER (for obvious and not-so-obvious reasons), but Genesis hadn't failed his friend yet.

…Except when it came to his best friend's daughter, but the ginger-haired man was working on fixing that little blemish on his otherwise perfect record.

One more time, just one more try at being an uncle. Genesis was amazing at anything he did – how couldn't he? The crux of the matter was that he often did not give any effort, beyond what was needed unless he happened to have an audience close by. However, when it came to childrearing there were no rewards in doing that beyond a job well done and having the knowledge that you raised a child well. Genesis often felt that was utter bullshit, since his own family had barely lifted a finger in raising him at all, but he would try.

No, not try; _do_. Half-assing and being a general jerk had led him to his utter failure; last time had just been child's play. Now he was going to get serious or face the cold shoulder for the rest of his life. Though Angeal was mild-mannered enough for a SOLDIER of his capabilities, he was still capable of dishing out punishments; severe ones…Ones that usually left the inept and unsuspecting lying in hospital beds for the next five months. Angeal Hewley was a _very_ frightening man when he was in paternal mode.

It had been a week since Genesis had inadvertently poisoned his niece and about the same time she had chosen to avoid him at any cost. Had Angeal not told him the story about the clothes her mother had made her, Genesis would not have believed how stubborn the girl was being with him. And had Genesis not been a long time friend of Angeal's, the ginger-haired man would not have known that his younger friend would allow him a second chance; if only after hours of persuasion over the phone.

And this was how Genesis and Persephone ended up alone together in Angeal's apartment; the SOLDIER smiling as pleasantly at her while the six-year old was taking cover behind a sofa. This was progress though; at least they were in the same room.

Smiling a cheerful smile that stretched from ear-to-ear, Genesis said, "We're going to have a wonderful time together."

The wary gaze of suspicious blue eyes had a different opinion.

"I have a lot planned for us, Persephone and I know you're going to love it all," Genesis stated, full of confidence in his master plan. "It is a grand masterpiece in five parts that I'm sure you'll love."

A frown answered Genesis' pleasant, theatrical mannerisms.

The man had to resist the urge to put his hands on his hips like a schoolmarm and give the girl a disapproving glare. "For being so highly regarded as mature for her age, you certainly are acting like a child, little goddess," he said, hoping to gain some kind of verbal reaction. Persephone did not rise to his bait and continued to sulk as any six year old mad at an adult would. Five minutes in and he already wanted to throw in the towel in frustration, but _no_. He had endured many things in life – wading through swamps, crawling about in trenches and god only knew what else – with patience; his sulking niece should be a cakewalk. He could wait forever until she deigned to speak to him again.

However, he had promised Angeal he'd speedily bridge the gap between Persephone and the rest of them that he had created in the first place, so time was of the essence.

Not bothering to ask, Genesis picked up and threw a shrieking Persephone over his shoulder, steadfastly ignoring her shrieks and protests as he basically kidnapped her from her own home.

He made sure to lock up behind him.

"Put me down! Put me down!" the littler girl yelled, her voice so loud to his mako-enhanced ears they were liable to start bleeding from the racket. Her small legs kicked, but did not manage to connect, though she had no troubles thumping on his back with her fists. "Put me down!"

"No, I am not going to put you down and if you know what's good for you, you'll stop making so much noise."

The girl continued to kick and scream to be let back down to the ground, making a scene of her not-quite-an-abduction all the way down to the ground floor of the apartment complex.

**- -The First Act- -**

_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess_

_We seek it thus, and take to the sky_

**- -The First Act- - **

"What do you _mean_ the show is cancelled?"

The little fat man who owned the theatre on Loveless Lane began to sweat up a storm as he stared up at the taller man, who just happened to be glaring down at him with those glowing blue eyes. He trembled as the man in red snarled at him; it wasn't the first time this had happened, but Genesis had never been so murderous before whenever he heard that his favourite play was not currently playing.

Maybe it had to do with the little girl staring rather balefully at her lap as she sat on the other end of his office, while he and Genesis had an 'adult discussion'.

"I-it's just as I said! The lead actress for the play accidentally ate some peanuts and had an allergic reaction! She was just taken to the hospital earlier this morning!"

Genesis resisted the urge to loudly curse the existence of peanuts – the damned Incident was always going to come back to haunt him, it would seem. What were the odds that someone else with the same allergy would have a reaction within the same month? The Red Commander had to rein in his temper before he did something they'd all regret – like maybe burn down the theatre in a fit of righteous anger, because the first part of his five part plan was utterly ruined with this unfortunate turn of events.

But maybe there was a way to salvage things?

"Isn't there…an understudy?" Genesis asked, in a flash of brilliance. With such a popular show like Loveless there couldn't just be one set of actors, could there? They couldn't afford to cancel a single show (especially when Genesis had shelled out the money for a private showing with himself and his niece). He glowered down at the manager who quivered even more at the question of an understudy. This was not promising. Growling to himself at the incompetence of others, he demanded the man's explanation.

"Out with it! I haven't the time for this!"

"She's currently on honeymoon with her new husband!

Oh, that was just _perfect_, wasn't it?

Now what was Genesis supposed to do? He had thought to bring Persephone to see Loveless in the hopes that they could possibly bond over something, which would slowly shorten the gap between himself and Persephone. Though Sephiroth had been present that day and had also been partially responsible for what happened to the little girl, it had mainly been Genesis and his own stubborn persistence that had caused her great harm in the end. It was a troublesome job, regaining the trust of a wary, suspicious child.

Said child had left her cushioned seat in the manager's office to look at one of the posters hanging on the wall, apparently taking great interest in it. This did not go unnoticed by the theatre manager and he swiftly came up with an idea to placate the deadly SOLDIER talking down to him.

"I have a way to settle this!" The manager pronounced.

**- -First Act- -**

_Ripples form on the water's surface_

_The wandering soul knows no rest_

**- -First Act- -**

It was truly amazing the lengths one would go to salvage a broken – not, not broken, just slightly _bent out of shape_ – friendship. Genesis also found it absolutely astounding that he hadn't tried ripping his hair out just this moment as he was in the process of trying to fix the gap between himself and his niece. He was beginning to think that, perhaps, he may have been a little rash in his decision earlier when the manager had presented him with passes to a different show at another theatre owned by his brother. He promised that it would cheer his little ward up with little to no problem.

Looking at things now, Persephone actually seemed more horrified than _he_ was. And this play was supposed to be for her age group.

One good thing came from the two of them ending up at the Boco the Choo play was that Persephone had gripped his hand during the entire performance, so obviously terrified by the giant stuffed chocobo running about onstage.

But that wasn't to say that Genesis was exactly amused about the fact that he was being subjected to such a juvenile performance in exchange for the grand telling that should have been Loveless. It wasn't as if he didn't branch out, but the two of them were familiar with the tale and the man in red leather wouldn't object to watching it yet again, mainly because he never knew how the story was going to end. Due to being an unfinished work, Loveless' ending had many different interpretations and so it always varied. The play's ending on Loveless Lane was always decided before the scheduled show time.

He would much prefer watching a sappy ending of Loveless – Genesis liked the more tragic endings, himself – than this atrocity that Persephone did not even seem to enjoy, though many other children in the audience did.

Her eyes were wide and did not waver from the obese looking yellow chocobo flapping back and forth not twenty feet away, her grip on his fingers painful, were it not for the fact that his threshold for pain had been heightened since becoming a SOLDIER. The actors were re-telling the story of how Boco had gained an immense amount of weight and then proceeded to get himself stuck inside of the entrance to Tonberry's house. It was somewhat cute in storybooks…not so much in real life and Genesis could understand how traumatized his niece must be right now.

_Note to self: No more Boco the Choo books._

Never in his life was Genesis so glad to retreat from a dimly lit theatre as he had been when the play was over and his niece was clinging onto him like a baby koala.

"That was…_awful_," Persephone said, as Genesis carried her out of the theatre. He agreed wholeheartedly. Never again, he thought. Never again.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. Next time, we _will_ see Loveless." The subtlety and complexity of the story, along with superb acting ability and scenery and costumes and overall better quality on all fronts would be enough to wipe their minds of the Boco the Choo play. How could anyone enjoy that? Well, obviously the general masses did, though Persephone did not share their views as much as he did.

"What are we going to do now?" the girl asked further, making Genesis smile. She was touching and talking to him. This was indeed progress.

Gently stroking Persephone's dark hair, Genesis proceeded to their next venue, the first part of his plan completed.

"The day is young, little goddess," Genesis said, smirking at the nickname he used. Persephone, he now remembered, was the name of an ancient goddess related to the summon, Hades. The queen of the underworld and patron deity of renewal and spring. "And we have much to do."

**- - Second Act - -**

_There is no hate, only joy_

_For you are beloved by the goddess_

_Hero of the dawn, healer of worlds_

**- - Second Act - -**

One step forward, two steps back.

By now they should be eating brunch, because Genesis had neglected to feed Persephone before they left for Loveless Lane that morning, so fervent in his quest to win her back to his side. As if her dislike of him couldn't get any worse, she had gone back to sulking again when his car had broken down, piece of utter crap. And he had paid a good two hundred thousand gil for it, too; it was still new, damn it all and he barely had time to drive it since the war had started. And the war in Wutai still wasn't over, either. Settled down, yes, but far from over. Right now they were in the middle of a ceasefire with their nations' leaders trying to smooth things over, before guns and swords were pulled again.

_Now is not the time to be thinking about what's going on the other side of the Planet,_ the red-head chided himself, returning his attention to his obviously tired niece. She didn't have a lot of stamina, he noticed, but then not all children were hyperactive monsters with boundless energy like Angeal's puppy. However, she had refused his offers to carry her after he had set her down and the girl found some distance between them.

Genesis resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. This girl could really hold a grudge…He thought girls were supposed to be more emphatic than boys? Persephone just wouldn't find it in herself to forgive him; things would have been so much easier, the ginger-haired man mused, if his best friend had managed to actually adopt a boy. He was sure he could have just bribed a boy into liking him instantly.

You'd think it were easy to win the love of a child. Genesis had always been told that a child's love was unconditional…of course, he never believed in such drivel, because in his own youth his parents had to keep his attention on them by buying trinkets, books, pets – whatever his heart desired. However, Angeal's daughter would not be swayed by material possessions so easily.

Little Persephone's stomach rumbled, reminding him that she was hungry and they had been wandering for over an hour looking for a restaurant in the middle of Sector Eight. At this point neither of them could be very picky (or snobby, as Angeal pointed out one time when the red-head threw a hissy fit about having to eat at a less than stellar bistro), so Genesis scanned the surrounding area, looking for the nearest restaurant.

Neon lights in the shape of a serpent caught his eye and he knew he had found salvation at last.

Taking his niece's hand, he pulled her along towards 'Kam Shing', a restaurant that specialized in Wutai cuisine. It was perfect, Genesis thought, for the girl was half-Wutai and her mother must have prepared some of their homeland's traditional meals for her daughter, right?

Not five stars, but Genesis didn't plan on eating.

The hostess who greeted them at the door had a very wide smile, all teeth almost blindingly white. There was a slight tremor in her legs as she walked unsteadily in high heels, leading them to a table near a window. Genesis chalked it up to nerves at meeting a famous SOLDIER – or any SOLDIER, really. People tended to be intimidated by the mako-enhanced. Well, most. There was this one tiny exception who sat across from him in a booster seat.

_Dear Gaia, she's so small,_ came the rather unbidden paternal thought. _Angeal seriously needs to make her eat more or drink more milk._

The hostess practically slammed the menu on their table, making it tremble slightly, mouth twitching as she stalked away. She was quickly replaced by a much calmer, less twitchy, waitress who rattled off dishes they might like to eat in a heavy accent. Genesis told her that he wasn't eating, but his niece who was looking at the menu curiously.

"We have Hunan dumplings. They are very, very popular with kids. Would that be good?"

Genesis had to ask what was inside.

"It is a pork dumplings in sweet sauce. Very, very good. Easy to eat. I get some for you?"

Well, if it was just pork dumplings in sauce, what harm could it do? And if kids loved them, then surely Persephone wouldn't object to it? Looking at the girl, she didn't say a peep as she continued her study of the menu, tracing the outline of the Leviathan depicted on the cover. Genesis just sighed.

"One order of Hunan dumplings, please."

**- - Second Act - -**

_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul_

_Pride is lost_

_Wings stripped away, the end is nigh_

**- - Second Act - -**

It was official: the entire city of Midgar was out to sabotage him in any way possible. This was _not_ the day he had envisioned with his niece.

Genesis should have just taken the menu and ordered something like crispy chicken or chow mein or something stereotypically Wutai for his niece to eat, because the steaming plate of dumplings that arrived had been smothered in nothing, but peanut butter sauce. Oh, cruel, cruel fates. Why did it have to be peanuts?

Poor Persephone's face was paler than when she had left the theatre with him, traumatized by the awful performance of Boco the Choo.

Her eyes darted from the dish to him accusingly, as if suspecting him of trying to poison her a second time. The look did not last wrong as a knife came sailing his way and he barely ducked in time before it shattered the glass of the window near their table, causing Persephone to scream in terror.

Standing up so fast that he knocked his chair over, Genesis looked for their would-be attacker within the quickly emptying restaurant. All he could see was a sea of people running and screaming after the first signs of danger, prompted by his niece's own shrieks of fright. Remembering that he was not alone, Genesis turned to check on the little girl – she might have been hit by glass and would need medical attention – and froze.

Persephone was gone.

**- - Third Act - -**

_My friend, do you fly away now?_

_To a world that abhors you and I?_

_All that awaits you in a sombre morrow_

_No matter where the winds may blow_

**- - Third Act - -**

Dread gripped Genesis' heart for the first time in a long time…not since he had been a boy and had fallen out of one of the apple trees in the family orchard, breaking his arm. Angeal had been there for him, though, carrying his friend to the town doctor so that his arm could be set and healed. Genesis and Angeal had been the best of friends for what seemed like forever and shared many times together, both good and bad.

Genesis had always cherished that friendship no matter the hardships that came their way, because he could always count on his childhood friend to be there to lend a helping hand, no matter how obnoxious he acted.

He could imagine that friendship disappearing and that life-long support crumbling away beneath his feet when he saw that empty seat.

But the anger and disappointment he imagined Angeal sporting on his normally patient face was not from losing his friend's trust. No, that wasn't it. As Genesis stepped towards the chair where his niece had been, he knew it was something else that was making guilt eat away at his heart.

Angeal may be a terrible father, but Genesis made an even worse uncle.

He had failed to protect his niece and it only just clicked now.

**- - Third Act - -**

_My friend, your desire_

_Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess_

_Even if the morrow is barren of promises_

_Nothing shall forestall my return_

**- - Third Act - -**

The hostess had been a Wutai spy who freaked out, thinking her cover had been blown when she saw Genesis walk in with a little girl. Not wanting to be taken down without a fight, the spy made-up a plan with her comrades who posed as chefs. Many SOLDIERs came here for food, because it was quick, cheap and the service was good (it also helped that they hired only the prettiest of Wutai girls to serve the pigs) and their lips often loosened in the presence of supposed civilians. It was fine…until one of the three demons walked into the restaurant.

According to intelligence none of the three top SOLDIERs would be caught dead in such a restaurant, choosing more upscale businesses or eating at home; sometimes they ordered take-out if their schedules did not allow them to leave their offices. To have one of them suddenly appear at their base of operations would send any hardened spy into a frenzied panic in the kitchens! It couldn't be mere coincidence that Genesis Rhapsodos had come to their place of business out of all the Wutai restaurants available in Midgar.

So a battle plan was enacted. To ensure their safety out of Sector Eight, they would make a surprise attack and then kidnap the girl who was with the commander, using her as a human shield. The idea of using a child was a disgusting one to the spies, but they needed any leverage they could get. As long as the girl cooperated, she would not be harmed. The same went for the First class SOLDIER as well; if he knew what was good for his charge, he'd stay well away from them, if he wanted the girl back safe and sound.

Of course, Hell hath no fury like a SOLDIER in paternal mode, Angeal Hewley or not.

**- - Fourth Act - -**

_My friend, the fates are cruel_

_There are no dreams, no honor remains_

_The arrow has left the bow of the goddess_

**- - Fourth Act - -**

Genesis had not brought Rapier with him. Why would he? He had not expected to run into any trouble while in Midgar and certainly not Wutai insurgents bent on causing trouble. At the very least, he had the presence of mind to equip his Materia before leaving his apartment that morning, the bangle that carried them a heavy weight on his wrist as he ran after the shinobi that had taken his niece.

The things Genesis had to do to keep their family together. Angeal would never forgive him if he never saw his daughter again and Genesis would not forgive himself if something happened to the girl due to his carelessness yet again!

The Materia were charging on Genesis' frustration and anger, his Dark Firaga just itching to be used right now. The wind whistled in his ear as he moved with inhuman speed to catch up with the escaping group of ninja who had the audacity not only to be trying to steal secrets from the company, but to help in ruining his perfect plan to win back his niece and getting back into Angeal's favour. For the former alone, they were going to burn, but now it was extremely personal.

Shoving people aside as he moved, the Red Commander realized that he could not catch the runners without making them stop, for as long as they had a continuous stretch of road or street in which to run and they would run, if only to spite him. They would tired, but by then something would have happened to Persephone. The longer a child was missing the lower the chance of survival, Genesis recalled, from his days as a cadet when he had to deal with more local troubles such a kidnappings and theft. Everyone in the Public Safety Dept. was taught the same thing as well as to always expect the worst in any given situation.

Summoning a dark ball of fire, he shot it forward at the fleeing ninja who held his niece – who was just trying to hang on and not be dropped – forcing him to take a different route from the rest of his comrades.

Genesis grinned. _That's right. Let me herd you around the city._ His hand went into his pocket to pull out his phone, rapidly tapping the keys with one hand, while the other prepared a barrage of fireballs meant to steer his 'sheep' towards Sector Six – a dead end unlike any other. It was one of the few Sectors of Midgar that had yet to be finished in its construction, which meant that there was a gaping hole that one could fall to their doom with, if they weren't careful.

Thank Minerva for the high wall that separated the edge of Sector Seven, lest his prey fell in with his niece. Unless he sprouted wings from his back, Genesis didn't think he could dive after them fast enough, should the Wutai spy he followed felt extremely suicidal.

They had run all the way to Sector Seven, something that even had Genesis panting a little, but he smirked in anticipation as he fired off another Dark Firaga and it caused the runner to trip and fall. Thankfully, the Wutai ninja had tucked Persephone into his arms, so the girl did not suffer too badly when they both suddenly tumbled onto the concrete. A few cut and bruises, Genesis thought, would be better than her gone or worse – _dead_.

Her captor's arms came loose as he groaned in pain, his head having smacked onto the ground. Persephone took this chance to limp away; Genesis frowned at that. He would deal with it later, though, as the girl was coming towards him. To save her the pain of traveling the last stretch of street that kept them apart, the ginger-haired man rushed forward and scooped her up. Persephone, eyes watering and lip quivering, latched onto him again and started sobbing.

Ah, Gaia. He absolute _hated_ it when children cried.

The ninja stood up eventually, teetering about on his feet and the commander's temper suddenly flared at the sight of him. It wasn't his fault that his day had turned out so crappy and his niece had suffered more in one day than a child should have in an entire lifetime, but Genesis was no longer feeling so generous as the girl cried on his shoulder.

He needed to relieve some stress anyways.

Absently, Genesis planted a kiss on top of Persephone's head as he formed the Dark Firaga spell in his hand, the Materia in his bangle shining brightly in his silent rage. To his pleasant surprise, the wailing subsided just a little and he held her close in one arm, her weight practically nothing to him.

With his free hand, he aimed all of his frustration at the recovering Wutai shinobi.

"_My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey_," he recited, watching as the fires left his hand and began a dark little dance around the spy who tried to evade being fried with all the agility his people were renowned. With a clench or shift of his hand, Genesis could move the fire at will, his blue-violet eyes sparkling in sadistic glee. Frighten SOLDIER cadets never danced as well as a ninja did, while under fire.

Finally, it was time to end it. He had a little girl to tend to, after all and his temper, which flared quickly, was subsiding after he had his fun.

"…_In my salvation…and your eternal slumber_."

**- - Fourth Act - -**

_Legend shall speak_

_Of sacrifice at world's end_

_The wind sails over the water's surface_

_Quietly, but surely_

**- - Fourth Act - -**

The spies had all been rounded up and arrested by the Public Safety Department. Being off-duty, Genesis was as much as a civilian as anyone who had been around for the attack, so gave his statement and that everything he had done was in self-defence and to save the life of his niece. After being frightened at the theatre, practically starved and then kidnapped, all the excitement had made Persephone pass out in his arms after crying her eyes out.

And Genesis has accused _Angeal_ of being neglectful. He'd be amazed if his best friend ever allowed him near his niece again.

His niece. _His_ niece. The realization was mind boggling, more so than the fact that Genesis had just simply learned to accept the fact that Persephone was going to stay and was just as much _his_ as she was Angeal's and Sephiroth's.

The two of them were given an escort back to the apartment complex, for which Genesis was eternally grateful. The girl continued to sleep and would not be persuaded to untangled her small limbs from around his neck; he grip was tight and the SOLDIER would not risk accidentally snapping her tiny fingers trying to undo them. He got them into Angeal's apartment, so he could fix up his niece and get her some clean clothing.

The girl was amusingly sleepy throughout the whole thing as he sat her on the kitchen counter. She leaned against the wall and kept on dozing as he methodically checked her body for wounds, finding some scrapes that were easily cleaned and then covered with some happy face bandages he found inside Angeal's First Aid kit. Her ankle had been sprained and was swelling, but Genesis made sure to put some ice on it after he helped the little sleepyhead change into a fresh dress.

When he put her on her bed, ice pack carefully laid on her ankle, Persephone finally woke-up. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her cheeks still held a tinge of red and Genesis suspected the girl was going to cry again and looked around for something in the girl's surprisingly sparse room for something to comfort her, when the last thing he expected came out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry."

Genesis blinked. "What?" His voice sounded too harsh and he repeated himself, his tone marginally gentler. "What is it, little goddess?"

"I'm sorry I'm so much trouble…Papa's fighting with you, right? Because of me?"

Ah, so the girl was aware of the strife she as causing between the men in her family. However, Genesis did not hold it against her for sulking and being so distant.

"Don't worry about it, Persephone. What's done is done," Genesis stated. Persephone shifted on the bed, turning so that she laid on her side, slightly curled up. The older man adjusted the ice pack so that it stayed on her ankle. "I'm not mad….Are you mad?"

Persephone's eyes watered and Genesis tensed. She bravely held in her tears. "I used to be. Not anymore." A pause. "Are you really not mad, Uncle Genesis?"

Sighing, the commander petted her head, giving it a few tender caresses. She thought he was angry with her? Sure, he disliked the idea of her suddenly butting into his life and diverting his best friend's attention from him, but he couldn't say he was angry. Surprised, yes. Wary, definitely. And not a little jealous, of course. But was he angry? No. Angeal always wanted to have a family of his own and Persephone fulfilled that far-off dream in her own way. She was Angeal's gift of the goddess, in a roundabout kind of way.

No matter how he felt, he was happy for them, to be able to find joy in one another…and maybe he was a little happy for himself, now that he understood that that joy was meant to be shared with him, as well.

Uncle Genesis. He endeavoured not to be tired of being called that.

"I'm not mad. I'm just…not used to you yet. Give me a bit of time, Persephone."

Her head was small under his hand and her hair was soft and cool, like Wutai silk. She moved her head closer to his hand, almost butting it the way an affection-starved kitten would. Genesis really would have to get used to having a niece round and underfoot, but he supposed he could deal with it. She wasn't so bad.

"Uncle Genesis?"

"Yes, Persephone?"

"May I please hear Loveless?"

Genesis turned away, smiling behind a hand. Yes, she wasn't so bad.

"Whatever my goddess wishes."

**- - Fifth Act - -**

_Even if the morrow is barren of promises_

_Nothing shall forestall my return_

_To become the dew that quenches the land_

_To spare the sands, the seas, the skies_

_I offer thee this silent sacrifice_

**- - Fifth Act - -**

"I think you're worried over nothing, Angeal."

"You know what happens when he's alone with children – I should have never left him alone with her."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to get into a fight with a group of Wutai agents."

"The hell he _didn't_."

"You're being irrational, Angeal."

"You would be, too, if _you_ had a six year old daughter."

There was just no reasoning with the burly SOLDIER when he was worried out of his mind and distracted beyond reason. The call for grunts and SOLDIERs to track down Wutai that had infiltrated Midgar had come some time during the afternoon. Sephiroth and Angeal had stayed at headquarters, confident that the SOLDIERs seconds would be able to handle them on their own. The reports that returned from the incident were satisfactory with little property damage and no fatalities.

None of that had been a problem; what had disturbed the SOLDIER offices was Angeal discovering that Genesis' name had been repeated over and over in the reports and at the earliest convenience, the young father was storming in the direction of his apartment, ready to tell off his best friend for putting his daughter into harm's way _again_.

Sephiroth, ever calm and collected in any situation, was trying to talk Angeal out of possible murder. Normally it was he and Genesis who fought on an almost daily basis, with Angeal trying to keep them from killing one another, but now it was all backwards.

They entered the apartment together, seeing no one within. The First Aid kit Angeal kept was on the kitchen counter still, with some cotton swabs with dried blood on them sitting on top of a wad of tissues. The freezer was also slightly ajar, a tray of ice empty on the floor as it had been hastily poured into a plastic bag, some of which were strewn all over his floor.

Sephiroth could hear the sounds of breathing and he gesture quietly towards Persephone's bedroom. Both men tiptoed in, silently peering in and hoping they weren't going to see a bloody scene (because Angeal really was going to kill Genesis if something truly awful had happened to his girl), but found something…rather endearing.

Like the day Angeal had lost Persephone and had enlisted Sephiroth to help him search the SOLDIER floors, they found uncle and niece together, a book of Loveless close by.

The only difference between the scene weeks ago and the one here in the present was that the uncle was also sleeping peacefully with his little niece.

Genesis' grip was lax on the copy of Loveless in his hand and it almost looked ready to tumble on the ground. Persephone was wrapped up in the commander's bright red coat, snuggled up to his side with his arm draped around her shoulders. The both of them looked like they had just gone through one very long, very exciting day and had just dozed off together. The little girl was smiling as she slept, perhaps dreaming of something sweet; the red-haired man simply looked at ease and a little silly, sleeping with his mouth open in a rather ungainly manner.

Sephiroth stifled an amused chuckle, never thinking he'd see the day that Genesis would get along with someone under the age of majority.

"Still thinking on killing him, now?" the Silver General inquired softly to Angeal.

For the feigned look of irritation that came over his face, Angeal didn't feel angry anymore. However, he couldn't resist saying, "I'll wait until he wakes-up. _Then_ I'll kill him for worrying me."

Sephiroth smiled at that, casting a gentle gaze at the two sleeping forms on the much too small bed, feeling pity for Genesis for the day he had gone through as well as what awaited him when he awoke.

The things Genesis did to keep their family together.


	12. Not Enough

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K

**Prompt: **Not Enough

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** Warning! This small chapter is very silly and is seen from the point of view of a fangirl!

**009. Not Enough**

"_There needs to be more cowbell._"

The clubs loved Persephone - particularly the Silver Elite.

One would think that Keepers f Honor, Angeal's own fanclub, would have gone absolutely gaga over the little girl's appearance in the SOLDIER's life, but polling on the recent turn of events revealed that Persephone Hewley was a lot more popular among Sephiroth's fans.

The reason behind this was very simple: Whenever Angeal was on an extended mission or training his pupil, Zack Fair, the man required one of his best friends to watch over little Persephone. This duty fell to either Genesis or Sephiroth, depending on who was available. Currently, with Genesis occupied for the moment with the war effort once more, Persephone was entrusted to Sephiroth.

And when the girl was left with the Silver General, the man was bound to become shirtless before the day was out.

Sephiroth's office was located right under the central air conditioning system. During the summer time they were on maximum power twenty-four/seven in order to beat the heat. Poor little Persephone never stood a chance.

The girl-child had to wear a sweater whenever she stayed with her uncle. She often shivered from the cold, no matter where she took refuge in Sephiroth's office – and it was in the middle of August. Feeling bad for the little thing, the secretaries would sometimes swing by with some hot chocolate to warm her trembling body.

It was still not enough to keep her warm.

Persephone was always grateful for the hot chocolate and the other attempts to help her beat the cold. Once, the secretaries had commandeered one of the guard dogs from the Public Safety Department for her to snuggle, to the befuddlement of Sephiroth who wondered where the canine had come from.

The love and respect fro little Persephone started one fine sweltering day in August. Mary (from accounting) was dropping by with some chicken soup for Persephone, when she saw…_it_.

A vast expanse of alabaster skin that glistened under the artificial light of the office. It was utterly smooth without a single hair or scar to mar the perfection that was Sephiroth's naked chest. His toned upper body was tinged a slight pink, though it had more to do with the fact that he had just returned from running exercises a few minutes before Mary's arrival, than anything else.

But even sweaty, he was just so godly. To what higher power did Mary owe this divine vision…?

"Mary!" Persephone called, drawing the woman's attention to her, at long last. There, sitting on the sofa with a content smile on her pretty face, was Angeal's adopted daughter, looking toasty all wrapped up in Sephiroth's infamous black trench coat.

"Do you know this woman, Persephone?" Sephiroth inquired of his niece, voice calm and collected. He wasn't at all flustered that someone had caught him half-dressed.

"That's Mary. She's one of the nice ladies who have been keeping me warm," Persephone supplied with a cheerful smile.

Sephiroth pondered over this a moment, then nodded in understanding. "I see." He turned his cat's eyes towards Mary, then gave her a nod of gratitude that caused some of his hair to fall a little over his shoulder in the most delectable of ways. Gaia, long hair shouldn't look so good on a man!

Mary had to fight the urge to either go jelly-legged and then faint like a ninny, or end up screaming in glee like some crazed teenaged fangirl meeting her favourite rock star for the first time. Mary was, in fact, a member of the Silver Elite and she would not be reduced to a squirming, quivering puddle of –

"Is this for Persephone?" the general asked, touching the thermos of soup Mary had brought. Their fingers brushed ever so briefly, which made Mary's skin tingle.

– _goo!_

Mary held it together so she could nod vigorously in response to the silver-haired man's inquiry. Without thinking, the woman practically shoved the soup into his hands before running away as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring Persephone's alarmed calls at her back.

This was amazing! A wonderful discovery! And Chairwoman H was not going to be the one who scooped her on this! Wicked fast, Mary had whipped out her phone and started tapping rapidly on the keys in a whirlwind of words. In a matter of moments, everyone on her Silver Elite contact list had been mailed about the situation between Sephiroth and Persephone and they mailed all of their friends, who mailed their friends and so on and so forth. By the end of the day, the Silver Elite was on high alert and every lucky woman who worked as a secretary on the SOLDIER floor secretly fought over who got to visit Persephone next. No one came to blows (not yet), because they were a lot classier than the women in Red Leather and the Study Group, but eventually there came a system.

And thus, the Silver Elite came to adore little Persephone Hewley, thanking the goddess for her existence.

Though they could never get enough of seeing Sephiroth shirtless, no matter how their system made them have to share in this secret bounty.

**- A – P -**

Angeal stared at the mountain of presents on his doorstep, all carefully wrapped and from various women whose names he had never even heard of before. This didn't faze him in the slightest, being used to getting all kinds of gifts from his fans (though they didn't get to this ridiculous amount unless it was Winter Solstice or his birthday). No. What did surprise him was that they were all addressed to his daughter, who looked upon all the brightly coloured boxes in curiosity.

"Persephone, what did you do?' Angeal asked, more confused than anything else. Did his fanclub send these for his daughter? Looking at them, he doubted it. He had a fanbase, that was to be certain, but the gifts and their trappings usually appeared in more modest means. Exactly what had made this happen?

Thinking her father might be angry, Persephone was quite defensive as she stated, "I didn't do anything, papa! Honest!" The girl looked rather alarmed at Angeal and he had to calm her down before she got it into her head that he might be upset over the boxes blocking their door. She saw something on stuffed Nibel Wolf nearest to her; on the tag was a familiar hand writing.

"Oh! This one's from Mary!" Persephone proclaimed, before moving to the next giftbox and reading out names she knew.

Angeal blinked.

"Who?"

Once again, Angeal asked his daughter exactly what she had done to warrant so any gifts, but the girl explained that she hadn't done anything, except be really, really cold in Sephiroth's office.

The girl hadn't done anything important at all, she'd say as they moved everything inside together. Nothing important at all.

She just existed.


	13. Lost

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **Lost

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** As promised a little chapter starring little Persephone and her 'first love' from another universe! Huzzah for one-shot crossovers! Well, sort of. See if you know which series this character is from. Set before Angeal's adoption and before the death of Persephone's parents.

**010. Lost **

"_The love that lasts longest is the love that is never returned."_

Persephone N. Redfield was pretty sure that the black-haired boy standing around looking lost was not from around this area. For one, he sort of dressed oddly in a long black robe she only saw in pictures books, tied off by a long red sash and he wore sandals the likes also only seen in illustration. In a world like Gaia it was simply too inconvenient to be wearing such flimsy footwear. And in an area like Wutai, it was doubly so. War and carnage had matured the little girl of six quickly, on top of the rather Spartan upbringing her parents had given her…

Back to the topic on hand, the girl couldn't help, but stare at the confounded boy who looked lost in a most bored sort of way. The girl could tell he was clueless about where he had ended up, but was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

What to do, what to do…? Her mum and dad told her that she shouldn't talk to strangers, especially anyone of Wutai descent who wasn't her mother. This boy – probably no older than sixteen, though that was plenty old in the child's view – wasn't of Wutai lineage, as far as she could see; he was still a stranger nonetheless. Well, he did seem like he needed help and, against her better judgement, Persephone left the relative safety of her house to talk to him. Nothing would come of her simply telling him which way he needed to go to get to…wherever he needed to be.

It was still morning on the southern beaches of Wutai, where a small village was ensconced, close to a Shinra army base and a research facility where Persephone's parents worked day and night. They had not come home the previous night (again) and would most likely forget she even existed until she made her way to the facility on her own. Unless her sitter came by to spoil her fun, but it was still very, very early.

No one would know what the girl-child of the Shinra scientists would be up to this time of day, when the sun had barely been up for less than a few hours.

Clad in overalls and a slightly too big t-shirt, the girl just ran a hand through her short tresses before approaching the strange boy, who had a book under his arm and a piece of charcoal in his thin hands. He turned to look in her direction when she was two arm's lengths away from him, staring down his nose at her with assessing blue eyes. The color of a night sky, her young mind romanticized and he seemed all the less intimidating for it – not that the boy seemed all that scary.

There was something about his face that promised gentility, even though something in her being was telling her something was off. Well, he was a stranger, so it wasn't odd to feel a little bit paranoid.

"Hullo, there," she greeted politely with a small bow, as was custom in Wutai. While her mother did not want her associating with anyone from Wutai who wasn't sided with Shinra, it did not mean she didn't instil a few cultural mannerisms into her child. Naomi Redfield was odd that way; protective over one thing and nonchalant over others. "What's your name?"

There was a myriad of emotions that flickered across the boy's face – much too fast for the girl to catch all at once, but the one expression the girl saw as a constant was recognition. Did he know her? It wasn't likely. His free hand rose up and clasped the pendant he wore (it looks like a star, Persephone thought) and his face fell into a pondering visage.

"I'm Ha –" He stopped a moment, and then started again. "I'm Alone."

Persephone furrowed her brows and tilted her head to the side, trying to make sense of what was being told. "Of course you're alone. Well, not really anymore, since _I'm_ here now, but may I _please_ have your name?"

The serious expression – and he did look pretty serious for a while there – melted for a moment as the boy chuckled at her, which made the girl huff indignantly. Just _what_ was so funny?

"My name _is_ Alone," he explained patiently, lowering himself into a crouch in front of her. His book and charcoal were now on his lap as he looked at her, a tranquil air suddenly surrounding him. "And who might you be?"

"My name's Persephone," the girl replied. Something appeared in Alone's eyes, but Persephone couldn't decipher what it meant. So, like any child, she forgot about it and just trudged on. "You look lost."

Alone chuckled at Persephone's blunt statement; "Do I?"

The girl nodded in affirmation and Alone sighed, weary and resigned. Feeling concern for the boy-who-wasn't-quite-a-stranger-anymore, the half-Wutai girl took a few cautious steps forward. Closer, she peered at the older boy's face, wondering if he was alright. There was a sad look to his eyes that she caught, but those night sky orbs were soon unreadable as they focused on the oddly dressed girl in front of him. He gave her a little smile and reached out to ruffle her hair, making the girl giggle and shriek in surprise at the same time. Aside from her parents, no one really touched her.

In fact, not even her father was allowed to keep her in hand too long, her mother often stealing her away every chance she got. Even her nanny was instructed not to get near her unless strictly necessary, mother Naomi explaining to both the nanny and her daughter that it was to avoid spreading disease and 'cooties', which Persephone thought was really silly. You only really got cooties from sick boys, everybody knew that!

Alone did not look sick to her and he wasn't really a boy, anyways. Compared to her, he was more of a grown up than a kid. At his full height he actually towered over Persephone, so she was glad when he crouched in front of her, giving her neck a break from craning in order to meet his gaze. A steady stare that the girl-child thought to be very pretty – it was almost like looking at a starry sky at night!

"I could tell you where all the grown-ups are. They could help you out," the little girl offered, reaching up to fix her messed-up hair.

"That won't be necessary, but…thank you nonetheless…Persephone." Looking at him, there was this strange air about him that had the perceptive girl slightly on edge. Then again, the girl understood bad things were happening all around her and even in her own home she was never truly safe and had to be careful of Wutai soldiers. Though her mother's people were not of the type to harm civilians – especially children – in this thing her parents called 'war', people often became blind to their surroundings and hurt innocent people without meaning to.

_He's really sad_, she came to realize. The why that she wanted to ask was on the tip of her tongue when he spoke first.

"Persephone is a very pretty name," he stated, distracting the half-Wutai girl from her thoughts. "Tell me…do you like flowers?"

Suddenly feeling an eagerness in her to share her thoughts, the girl nodded vigorously.

"What kind?" Alone inquired with a gentle smile that suited him much more than the sombre look he sometimes had, in Persephone's opinion.

"White ones," she answered without hesitation. Funny thing was she had never seen a white flower before. Wutai was well-known for many exotic kinds of flora and all of them as brightly coloured in the various shades of a sunset. The only ones she had ever seen in a proper shade of white would have to be ones she drew herself. Persephone wasn't shy about telling Alone this, though, who became rather thoughtful at her admission.

Curiously, Alone opened his sketchbook and drew furiously inside of it with the piece of charcoal he kept, Persephone watching in awe. In less than a minute, he was turning the book towards the girl, smiling softly as she marvelled at the lifelike illustration of a flower within the manila page.

The girl recognized it as a kind of lily, since it had the shape of one, but upon inquiring about it to Alone, he shook his head.

"Where I come from this flower is called a daffodil…and it symbolizes unrequited love."

"Un-re-kitted?" Persephone repeated with quite a bit of difficulty. Alone's charcoal stained fingers got into her hair again.

"Unrequited. It means…love that isn't returned." The girl tilted her head to the side, brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of what was being told to her.

"Love that isn't returned? What does that mean?" Her innocence was very visible in her confusion and Alone did not want to spoil it for the world. She was still just a guileless little child, after all.

"It means not being loved, Persephone," he stated simply. Understanding dawned on the girl and she was quick to ask Alone questions he'd rather not answer…mainly because the answers were not his own and not his to tell. Not really.

"Someone doesn't love you?" she asked.

Alone shook his head. Not for a long while, he thought. He loved, but only in his own odd, twisted way. No one understood his actions or the meaning behind them and they never will. But that was alright. He had chosen his own path just as surely as this girl would when she grew up.

"Is that why you look like you wanna cry?"

Alone was taken aback; Persephone stared at him with clear eyes.

So that was it. Alone was…alone. He was lonely, wasn't he? Lost and lonely and Persephone knew that feeling. Mum and Dad were hardly ever around for her anymore, so she knew how lonely being by yourself could feel.

She grasped onto the older boy's sleeve, determination in her eyes as she announced, "I'll love you, okay?"

Alone did not say anything for a while. He just stared down at the girl who stood before him, holding onto his sleeve with a light, easily pried-off grip. The boy allowed it to stay there for a small while, a little entranced by the warmth of her small, delicate hands. A soft smile came onto his lips.

"You don't even know me, Persephone, refreshing as the idea would be."

He then removed her fingers gently, one by one, and then stood up to his full height. His gaze did not stray far from the little girl, but then his head turned sharply, his stare going off far into the distance. A frowned marred his face as it began to darken and the sun finally rose up, turning the dusk into actual morning. His time was up here.

Persephone thought she heard something, too, though in the opposite direction. Her nanny was calling her name from within the house, rather frantically, too. How long had she been out and about unsupervised? Her parents would have a fit, if they knew.

A hand descended onto her head once more and slipped off her dark locks as Alone moved away without so much as a farewell. He was headed toward the river that separated the southern and northern territories of Wutai. For anyone who did not fight for the Wutai sovereignty, going to the other side of Ah'tsehon meant death – even Persephone knew that!

"W-wait! Don't go there, Alone. It's dangerous!"

The boy stopped in his tracks and turned around so he could face her, expression sombre. He came back much to her, face still set, but at least he was not walking off to his death. He really must be lost, if he was headed towards the enemy all alone and armed only with a sketchbook and charcoal! He kneeled in front of her silently, looking at her face in a way that made the child self-conscious and blush in embarrassment.

There was a heat that spread on her cheeks…and her forehead as Alone had kissed it. The girl's heart began to beat a mile a minute and she squeaked at the sudden contact.

"One day…I'll show you those white flowers. I promise."

And then, before she could react, he was gone.

Persephone called for him, over and over, but the mysterious boy would not reply or return. Persephone began to wonder if it had been just a fleeting dream, because she was soon back in her bed at home, being called for by her nanny. The days that followed her meeting with the mysterious Alone, Persephone would sit by her window that saw the road leading to the Ah'Tsehon and kept a silent vigil. It worried her nanny and then her parents, since the little girl would sigh, waiting and waiting.

He never came back, so, like any child, simply dismissed it as a dream. A dream that she wished were real more and more every day, the memory of that one instance becoming more and more romanticized each time the child recall it. Every girl dreamed of having a Prince Charming sweep her off her feet some day and being six, this was the perfect time for Persephone dream.

Alone had promised to show her white flowers – daffodils – and Persephone had gotten the idea that if she actually went out looking for them, she would also find Alone.

And it was while escaping the ever-watchful eye of her nanny that little Persephone had gone to the riverbank of Ah'Tsehon in search of those white flowers when her life had changed forever.

Oblivious to the shadows watching her, the little girl spotted one lone daffodil by the water's edge and went there happily in order to pick it. Kneeling close to the tiny flower, she caught the glimpse of a large, shadow in the water before she was snatched away, never to see her parents again.

**A – G – A – G – A**

"Did you know that Persephone was named after a goddess?" Genesis asked one fine brisk day, out of the blue. The days had slowly become cooler and cooler as August came to an end, bringing with them the sad news that their idyllic time back home would soon be at an end. Come September, they would be heading back to the battlefront, one by one. The peace talks that had been going on, since Angeal's return with Persephone, had failed and – _very soon_ – Wutai soldiers would be attacking their camps and bases Shinra had already set-up.

But this was a worry for another time for Angeal; his current concern had more to do with Genesis' odd interest in his daughter's name of all things. Not being as much a scholar as his childhood friend was, Angeal was not prepared for whatever the redhead had to say.

"It comes from an old legend regarding the summon, Hades. He was the ruler of the Underworld who fell in love with a lovely lady who dwelled in the land of the living," Genesis explained dramatically, one of his infamous apples on hand. He paced his friend's office, revelling in the silence that followed his words for a moment, before continuing on with his tale. "This lovely lady was, of course, the goddess of spring itself…Persephone. Hades became so enamoured with her that he stole her away from her mother, Demeter, and made her his queen in the Underworld."

Genesis paused here and Angeal waited.

And waited.

And waited, with Genesis posing with his apple, right in front of his desk. The burly SOLDIER First continued to wait for more, but soon came to the sudden realization that….that was _it._ Unless his friend was simply waiting for a cue to go on, which Angeal knew he had to give, otherwise his overly theatrical friend wasn't going to leave until he did. Or bother him about it later. Such erratic behaviour was normal for Genesis, though the rate at which it appeared was going up steadily with each day closer to September.

"And?" Angeal intoned, now staring at his paperwork with great distaste. He really hated bureaucracy and quietly cursed the person who thought of it all.

"And? The moral of story here, Angeal my friend, is that you should worry a bit."

"I'm not the one who let her get kidnapped by _Wutai spies_," the dark-haired man replied flatly.

Being the person that he was, Genesis waved off those words as if they were inconsequential (although, he was wincing inwardly at the fact that his best friend hadn't quite forgiven him for that incident). "Yes, yes, but my point is that one day Persephone is going to grow-up, Angeal, and some strapping young man's going to come along and snatch her away."

Angeal grunted a non-committal reply, eyes still focused on his unfinished paperwork. Though he seemed engrossed in his work, it did not stop the returning memory of a grand wedding wherein his friends played traitor and his student was that 'strapping young man' that stole his baby girl away from him without him even knowing it, till it was too late. There had been days since that nightmare that Angeal did not want Zack near Persephone, but the SOLDIER First had eventually gotten over it…until Genesis inadvertently reminded him of it. Sweet Minerva, he didn't need these kinds of distraction so close to D-Day. If he was one of the men set to go to Wutai, he knew his daughter was going to be very unhappy with him.

The Red Commander was sure to be going back to the front lines soon, though, which was one of the reasons why he was wearing tracks into Angeal's carpet. He was waiting for Persephone's return to the office. Despite his initial dislike of his niece (and the responsibilities that came with her), Genesis had warmed up quite a bit to the little girl and had days where he looked forward to playing with her – even if it was just for a few moments before he had to rush off.

"_Heroes_," Genesis had once stated to placate his girl, "_are busy people_."

"Thankfully," Angeal began, managing to sign off a few reports, "_Seffie_ is only six years old and won't even be considering boys for a long time. In fact, I'd be happy if she never brings a boyfriend home."

The ginger-haired man chuckled at his friend's rather distract, though no less vehement response, as he sent his gaze towards the door that just opened. "Not even if the 'boyfriend' is your own student?"

To the surprise of Genesis, an oppressive aura filled the room as Angeal's face took on a very, very, very dark expression that reminded him of an angered lion, ready to pounce. Or maybe a mother bear. On mako. Oh, yes. Definitely an angry mother bear on mako. Somehow, Genesis had touched on a sensitive spot without meaning to.

Not being the cowardly type, the man in red only took a few steps back as Zack Fair and little Persephone entered the office together, laughing about something. They were holding hands and the tiny girl (who had to take four steps for every one of Zack's, making her scamper rather cutely) had a single white flower in her hand.

The two surrogate children of Angeal (one a son-in-everything-but-name-and blood; the other a daughter-on-paper-but-not-in-blood) froze.

A silence fell in the room; Genesis standing off to the side, smirking, the two 'children' hand-in-hand and old Angeal, sitting ominously behind his desk with a glower that could kill a basilisk and turn Medusa to stone.

Persephone was the first to speak up with a tentative, "Papa Angeal….are you okay? You look like you have a tummy ache." Immediately, the scowl disappeared, replaced by one of startlement that Zack and Persephone took advantage of.

Zack to take a few steps back (because no matter how mellow his mentor was, he was very capable of violence against anyone, if so inclined) and Persephone got closer.

She presented the small white flower she brought with her.

"Here, papa. This is for you!"

If the oppressive air hadn't dissipated before, it did now, as Angeal's lips quirked up slightly at the little offering. It was a pretty little daffodil; a rare find in a city like Midgar where flowers were considered a luxury item. Had Zack acquired it for his girl, somehow?

"It's very pretty, Persephone."

"Zack's flower lady says it means, 'The sun shines when I'm with you.' So, here." Guileless and so innocent, Persephone hopped onto her father's lap and stuck the bloom behind one of his ears. Used to her silly games (and in the company of close friends), Angeal had no problem posing a little with the flower, making his daughter giggle. Gaia, he _loved_ it when she laughed or smiled and just _beamed_ at him.

Her next words almost floored him – not only with the content, but with the absolute sincerity in which she spoke…silly as the end wounded up being.

"I'll love you forever, okay, papa? So feel better from your tummy ache!"

And before he knew it, that flighty child of his was retreating from the office with his student, hand-in-hand, once more. Something inside of him felt that he was missing something here, though what, he couldn't fathom. The idea that his daughter would care and kept him in her affections forever was quite a reassuring thing to hear, but the way she had spoken those words meant something was going on or his daughter had something on her mind. But hat could it be…what could it be…?

A snort of laughter broke Angeal from his thoughts.

"See?" Genesis said, not at all miffed he had been glossed over by the girl he had come to see. "Gone. With a young man. _Right out your door without so much as a good-bye_."

Not wanting to let Genesis know he was right by any means (because he became insufferable when he was), Angeal just grunted and went back to his paperwork.

"Nice flower, by the way."

"Go read Loveless, Gen."

**Author's Note 2:** Alone is from Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas and he usually goes by the name of Hades nowadays. ;) So yeah. Picked him out of many, many, many characters out there. This was not my best chapter, but I'm sure the extra tidbits here and there about Persephone's past might have made up for things. I'm annoyed that this chapter doesn't feature more Angeal in it. After all, this fic is about him raising a daughter. And so…back to Angeal-Persephone bonding!


	14. Parents

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** T for temporary character death. Yeah, you heard me.

**Prompt: **Parents

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**011. Parents**

"_A parent is God, in a child's eyes."_

The summer was winding down and soon, autumn was coming. It was a week before September 1st was coming, as well as the beginning of the school year. Persephone would be attending Shinra Elementary in the first grade and the girl was quite anxious to enter an actual school filled with children her age to interact with. Persephone was so thrilled at the idea of school that Angeal went out and bought her a new dress to wear for school, since it had a lax dress code.

Genesis was in Wutai at the moment, but had managed to call home to wish her well on her first day, promising the child to come back as soon as possible. He reminded her about how busy heroes were and she understood perfectly; she also told him to go find a princess to rescue and to tell the princess 'hi', when he saw her. The commander laughed on the other end and still had a few good chuckles long after he had hung up.

Sephiroth, being with her almost every single day now (the good general was being kept on standby and that meant no missions at all, not even local ones), was able to give his well wishes face-to-face when the news had been announced that she would be accepted into the school. His niece was soon becoming a permanent fixture in his cool office, to the point where he had bought pillows and blankets for her to use when she became tired.

At one point, the man had found her coughing, but she assured him she only needed some water. She coughed, still, when Angeal took her home, but he just gave her some cold syrup for children from the pharmacy, sure that she was just having a cold or a simple chest cough. Persephone was young and her body still developing, but it would bounce back soon enough.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Angeal took out the little device and stared at the readings, a frown marring his face. At the rate he had been going all Saturday, he was going to have a lot of pre-mature worry lines at the age of twenty-three. Softening his expression as he turned to gaze down at Persephone, he pushed sweaty dark hair away from her face.

"How is it?" she wheezed, making her father's heart twist inside of his chest.

He almost didn't have the heart to tell her that she had hit 41 degrees Celsius and that a trip to the emergency room was in order. How could this have happened? Angeal had to reason with himself that Persephone was just a little girl and children had a tendency of getting sick and that he shouldn't worry at all. However, Angeal had been a father for barely over a few months and having his daughter sick now, he wasn't sure he could cope with the idea that she could get so easily ill. Especially not after the Incident with Genesis. One scare like that had been enough.

As he dressed her up warmly, noting how she shivered though it was practically steaming in her room, Angeal pondered over what his own parents had felt whenever he became sick with the flu or a cold. But then, Angeal had never contracted any disease in his entire life, being one of the few lucky people on Gaia who never got sick. Then again, he couldn't afford being sick, not with the cost of simply living, never mind medical bills!

Well, costly or no, had Angeal ever gotten sick he was sure that his mother and father would have rushed him to the nearest doctor as quickly as possible.

The closest hospital with a paediatric ward was the one in Sector Eight; twenty minutes away by car, which was twenty minutes too long. Angeal must have gone through a few red lights on the way, because the man distinctly heard a few angry horns as well as shouts aimed in his direction. But they had been ignored in favour of the laboured breathing in the back of his car.

Arriving at the emergency room, Angeal's heart fell when he saw so many sick people waiting inside to have their turn. Some might be there to visit someone and were probably just taking a break, but still…so many people. The sight of the crowded waiting room made him appreciate never having to be sick as well as lament not hunkering down and heading for the medical ward at Shinra Headquarters where the line-up would have been several dozens of people less.

"Papa, my tummy hurts…" Persephone mumbled in his arms, snuggling closer to him to get more comfortable. Angeal's face contorted into an anguished expression, knowing that all he could do was to try and soothe his daughter until it was their turn in the queue. It was no easy task, though. Angeal was perfectly clueless as to what he should do in this situation. Try as he might, the only occasion he had to deal with the ill were his own SOLDIERs and Zack and that care was minimal at best and did not have any of them curled up against his chest, seeking comfort.

'Her tummy hurt' and that could be a number of things, he had been told. Children weren't terribly specific when they were in pain, although getting a stomach ache from time to time was normal enough for them to be able to link pain to it and, therefore, speak out about it. But it was just too vague a complaint. It could be her throat was bothering her, chest pain, her head – even her stomach – anything. Angeal was dizzy with worry and there was nothing he could do about it.

He kissed her forehead – noting once again how absolutely hot her skin was – and whispered to her that everything was going to be alright. He did well not to let any emotion show in his voice, but despite the years of living on the battlefield, Angeal could not help, but let his voice crack just a little.

"It'll be okay, Seffie."

It was odd, how one little girl could make him become undone. But the SOLDIER reasoned that it wasn't just any little girl, it was his little girl, lying there in his arms and struggling for breath. She trusted him wholeheartedly to guard her and keep her safe, a man who had once been a complete stranger and who had failed to save her real parents' lives. A SOLDIER – killer – a monster wrapped in pride and honour.

"Papa."

Her tiny hand reached up and touched his unshaven cheek; caressed it with the pads of her fingers. Blue eyes hazily looked up at him and a little smile appeared on her lips.

"I'll get better soon," she promised, raspy. Angeal smiled down at her little face and kissed her cheeks tenderly, bringing the girl up to hold her close. She was going to be alright, he told himself. It was just the flu. Nothing more. She'll go in, see the doctor, get some medication prescribed – if at all – and then they'd go back home and his daughter was going to get better. Nothing serious at all.

Persephone was truly exhausted from this, the dark-haired man thought, feeling her go limp in his arms. He stroked her hair and placed another kiss on the top of her head, feeling a little calmer now that his initial panic was beginning to subside. Everything was going to be alright. Wanting the girl-child to be comfortable as she slept, she was shifted in his arms and he expected her to mumble in her sleep like she always did when he moved her, but nothing came. Poor thing was really tired, after all. He touched rubbed her chest, hoping it would soothe the pain that came with breathing and froze.

It was then and there that Angeal realized that Persephone had stopped breathing.

Cold dread filled his being.

_No…_

"NURSE!"

**P-A-P-A-P-A**

"…You're lucky Mister Hewley. Something in that little heart refused to give up…."

_If only I had been there more…_

"…There might be some complications in the future, so we'll have to do some tests later on…"

_If only I could have found someone to take care of her…_

"…Tell me, has Persephone gone anywhere where she might have picked up this bacteria…"

_If only I had gotten here sooner…_

"…Two weeks at the worst, but we're predicting a stay here at least a week…"

_If only I had known…_

"Angeal..."

_If only her parents hadn't died…_

"Angeal!"

The young father look up to see Hollander staring down at him, concern on his grizzled face. The older man placed a hand on his shoulder and fixed Angeal with an inquisitive stare, which caused the SOLDIER to sigh softly.

"Is something the matter?" Hollander asked quietly. It was Angeal's monthly check-up with the good doctor and they were currently in his office, finalizing things, but since Angeal had seemed so distracted with something else, he decided to set them aside just this once. Sometimes, pursuits against Hojo just weren't worth it some days. Ten minutes won't end up killing him. "You seem distracted today."

"It's…my daughter," Angeal stated, looking at the scientist. He was surprised to see Hollander looking back at him, twice as surprised as he was and the SOLDIER only realized too late that he had not yet informed the scientist of the newest addition to his family. Knowing this now, the man would be rather disapproving and would probably ask if he had told his mother yet…which, Angeal thought, he hadn't. The days with Persephone following certain tragedies had been almost idyllic, like living through a dream and being put through the ringer a second time had really made Angeal wake-up this time.

Just what had he been thinking? Taking in a small child like that? What business was it of his to suddenly become another man's father? Angeal was not at his best at the moment – emotionally and physically; he was fatigued from spending sleepless nights at his daughter's bedside at the hospital and mentally strained because of the constant heartache he felt, watching her breathe through the help of a machine. During the time of the incident, Angeal had not been there for the initial round of emergency measures taken for his daughter. This time…this time he saw exactly what had been done to her and not just the aftermath.

By Minerva, what had he done?

"I…you…Since when?"

"A few months ago."

Hollander's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Just a baby then?"

Angeal shook his head. "No, she's six already."

If the scientist's eyebrows could go any higher, they would have disappeared right off of his face when he heard this piece of information, already misinterpreting it like many others who had been introduced to little Persephone.

"Did you—"

"She's not mine…not really."

Hollander became silent than, standing in front of Angeal almost imposingly. The SOLDIER himself was sitting on the examination table, which had himself almost eye to eye with the man who had been friends with his parents since a time immemorial. To him, who had lost his father, Hollander had become a secondary figure in his life; the only other male he could look up to and confide to. He was the man who helped him finish attaining his first dream of becoming a strong warrior the way Angeal's own father could never have done, due to his death.

Hollander was the only one he could talk to, even if he never had children of his own.

"Tell me what happened."

Angeal sighed and looked at his hands.

Quietly, he began, "Her name is Persephone and she's the sweetest little thing you've ever seen."

Like for when Sephiroth and Genesis had demanded an explanation from him after they had first met the half-Wutai girl, Angeal had started from the beginning. He told Hollander of the mission he had taken on months ago to save a pair of scientists –

"Naomi and William Redfield. I remember them. They were so young. Very ambitious, too. Naomi requested to go with her husband to work on sample collection in Wutai with her husband six years ago. There weren't enough resources to bring them back. I'm surprised. Naomi would have been at least a month pregnant with Persephone when they left."

– and the subsequent failure Angeal had tasted when the two scientists had given their lives to save their only child. He spoke of the girl's time at the local orphanage and the hard process of adoption; he had been called unfit at the time, but a lot of work had gone into proving that Angeal was capable of raising a child on his own. It was very hard at first, for the both of them –

"Child rearing is never an easy task, especially for a single parent. You were lucky they even let you take Persephone when you weren't even married, Angeal."

– and adjusting to the new arrangement in their lives had been no breeze, but he had enjoyed the days with her, before the Incident that happened and the days following it. Genesis' day out with the girl to reconcile with her, the Wutai shinobi, her getting hurt, staying with Sephiroth when he had to work. And everything else in between.

By the end of his long winded tale, Angeal felt exhausted, but clearer of mind. Who knew how much time the SOLDIER had taken up, telling Hollander his exact doings for the past few months. However, Angeal felt strangely better for it all. And the scientist, well, he just had this odd look in his eye as he smiled. It looked oddly familiar to Angeal, though it wasn't apparent why at first, but it became clear soon enough.

"You know, as a parent, you will experience a lot of times where you'll second guess all the decisions you've made. 'Should I have done this?' Or 'should I have said that?' There will be many what ifs you'll face in the future that will have you wondering if you had done the right thing in raising your child. But let me ask you this…do you regret any of it?"

That look was something Angeal was seeing in the mirror now, almost every day since Persephone became sick with pneumonia. Regret. Did Angeal regret any of it? Any of the things he had done in the last few months? Did he really feel so awful about Persephone's sudden illness that he would want to erase it all?

_What had I done?_

He took a child in and raised her as his own. It had only been a short time, but he had really bonded with the child and wouldn't let her go for the world. Though they were not related by blood, Persephone was his little girl now, for better or worse and the responsibilities of raising a child wasn't get giving her a roof over her head and meeting her basic needs as a child.

_What had I done?_

To regret anything that he had done would not only be dishonourable to himself, but to his own parents who had done an impeccable job taking care of him and being there for him; his models of parenthood. To regret would be besmirching the sacrifice Persephone's parents had made for their child's future.

_What had I done?_

To ever regret taking in Persephone would be an insult to _her_.

"No," Angeal said, at length. A small, fond smile came to his lips. "I don't regret a single thing."

Hollander's hand clapped his shoulder once, chuckling in amusement.

"Well, then there's not much left for you to do right now, is there? There is no regret in action, but rather, inaction."

**G-A-G-A-G-A**

Persephone was allowed out of the hospital after a week in the paediatric ward, but on the condition that she remained in the infirmary at Shinra Headquarters for the next week until she was fully recovered and under the supervision of Doctor Hollander. The man did not mind, as he had been the one to make the suggestion in the first place. With the transfer, Angeal could be close to his daughter in case of an emergency and could better concentrate on work when he knew she was close by and safe.

It was surprising, but under Hollander's care, Persephone was recovering by leaps and bounds and it took a lot of convincing (read: bribery) in order to keep the girl in bed and not running around when she felt so much better. However, in bed she stayed with a large supply of children's books to keep her company as well as the occasional injured SOLDIER who needed one night's observation.

Another surprise for Angeal was how well Persephone and Hollander seemed to be hitting it off. At first, the girl had shied away from him and stayed quiet whenever he examined her, but after one of her deserts landed on his head by accident the two had become fast friends. If Angeal hadn't known better, he felt that Hollander was trying to _spoil her rotten_. Making up for a past of regrets? Perhaps. The SOLDIER allowed it, only because Persephone had grown to adore the scientist and Hollander with her.

"…he's even smuggling her some Banora apple juice, which she really doesn't like, but she tells me she drinks it anyways, because it makes Hollander happy," Angeal spoke into his phone, while working on some equipment forms.

"Hm. I've noticed that she doesn't like sweets much. Try mixing the juice with some water or another kind of juice like grapefruit. The bitterness there will cancel out the sweetness of the Banora White."

"Are you suggesting that I mess with the perfection that is Dumbapple Juice?"

"For Persephone, it's better not to torture her with something she doesn't like," Genesis spoke on the other end of the phone, sounding tired. Considering the time zones, he assumed that it was evening now in Wutai. "So I suppose she's missed her first day of school."

"More like her two weeks."

"It'll be hard for her to make friends then, Angeal, coming in so late." There was a hint of concern in Genesis' bored tone, shining through the mask of indifference he liked to wear. The two of them could think of one other person who had started off late and how awful things had been for them, until two people decided to step up and be their friends.

Angeal smiled, signing a document. "She'll be alright. Hollander's got her right now and Persephone's very brave. I know she'll be just fine at school."

"I hope this isn't going to be anything you'll regret later on, Angeal."

In all honesty, Angeal was second guessing himself, but he put a lot of conviction into his answer, because it was what he firmly believed in.

"No, I don't think so."

Angeal was not going to have any more regrets for what could have been or should have been. He had vowed to become the best father he could be for Persephone and that meant no more regrets. And with a promise of no regrets meant that he would have to insure his daughter's health and happiness and the only way to do that was to inform himself. Too long Angeal had been stumbling blindly on the road of parenthood. It was time to take matters into his own hands.

He would have no regrets, not so long as he kept on trying.

"I won't have any regrets."


	15. Special: Sephiroth's Birthday

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **Sephiroth'sBirthday

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** This special is dedicated to the inspiration for this fanfic – my baby sister. The very same stubborn baby sister who always insists on celebrating her big sister's birthday, even when said big sister doesn't want to. Give a special thanks to her everybody. She's my cute little lady, even though she's not so little anymore.

**Special: Sephiroth's Birthday**

"_."_

"That can't be right! You have got to be kidding me!"

"I'm not kidding, Seffie. I'm perfectly serious about it."

"But...but...but...That's just not right!"

This scene was of a father and daughter together, the father calming doing paperwork and the daughter at odds with him, her hackles raised and she stared down the older man. To Genesis, who had just finished a workout session with a group of Firsts, the whole thing was incomplete; so he added himself to the unfolding drama, smiling pleasantly at the two, in a good mood after letting himself got at it for the last hour.

"Now, what is this? Trouble in Paradise?" The ginger-haired man inquired at the duo. Wasting no time, Genesis went ahead and scooped up his niece, cuddling her tiny form. Holding the girl had become an odd part of his training regime over time; hugging Persephone was very therapeutic and a good way to wind down from an adrenaline high. And no, he was not addicted to holding the girl. Not at all. And anyone suggesting anything of the like behind his back would eventually be hunted down and burned. He realized that, one day, she would be too big for him to hold and cuddle like a stuffed toy, so he was going to take advantage of this until the threat of womanhood overtook his niece. She was already seven years old.

Angeal gave Genesis a look, before grumbling, "Hello, Genesis."

"Hello, Uncle Genesis," greeted Persephone, pouting. Despite being so sulky, the expression made the girl look rather cute, in Genesis' opinion.

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with you, little goddess?"

"Papa says that Uncle Sephiroth doesn't have a birthday!" Persephone blurted out loudly, causing Genesis to wince since she had shouted right next to his ear. "Everyone has a birthday!"

"Everyone, but Sephiroth," Angeal added, sighing. He had been trying to convince his child for the last fifteen minutes of the matter, but she just wouldn't believe him. It was true that everyone had a birthday, because everyone was born into this world. The Silver General surely had a birthday, but no one knew when it was - not even Sephiroth himself knew the day that he had been born. It didn't bother him, much, but he did try to avoid birthday celebrations in general, saying they made him uncomfortable. Both he and Genesis had tried inviting the man to their own birthday celebrations, but the man always found a reason not to attend.

"That's silly. Even Uncle Sephiroth has to have a birthday. He has a mommy and his mommy brought him here and gave him a birthday."

The two men looked at each other then, both sporting identical expressions of unease. The topic of Sephiroth and his mother were a very touchy subject between the three friends; none of them had mentioned that the man had no mother (or father) to speak of and that he had been raised by Shinra all of his life to the little girl. Angeal wasn't sure how to approach the subject without further upsetting his daughter, though he had ended up setting her off anyways. The child was very distressed over the idea that one of her uncles did not possess a birthday. Angeal had tried telling her that it was a big secret - to which Persephone said that you couldn't keep a birthday secret, because no one would know you existed however that logic worked - and then he had told her Sephiroth didn't even know when he had been born - and Persephone told him that not knowing was like not having been born at all. No matter what he said, Persephone stubbornly countered him. It had gotten to the point where the young father just didn't know what to do.

Genesis did not possess the same qualms.

The red-haired SOLDIER took a seat on one of the chairs in Angeal's office, setting his niece on his lap. Tilting her chin up gently, he looked down at her and said, "Sephiroth doesn't have a mother. She died a long time ago, on Sephiroth's birthday."

Persephone was appropriately stunned.

Angeal was understandably horrified. He wanted to tell off his friend for saying something so insensitive and harsh in front of Persephone, but a hand stopped him before an angry word slipped out. Genesis was shaking his head at Angeal, silently telling him to back off for this one time. He would deal with their little ward.

"Uncle Sephiroth...doesn't have a mother," came the soft murmur of the little girl. Her whole being was more subdued now. The girl had become very reticent and quiet as she sat with Genesis and he worried that, perhaps, he might have been a bit too honest with Persephone this time. He didn't want to sugar coat anything for the girl – _she disliked sweets anyways_ – but neither did Genesis want the girl to suddenly become an introverted shut-in because of what he had said. The girl's face was pensive and still held a bit of the shock that came from the revelation she received.

Finally, she spoke, expression sad.

"I….I…"

Oh, no, Genesis thought, he had made her cry. Angeal was going to have his hide for a new set of armour and use his hair to make a new rope. A short one, but it would be a very luxurious rope. After all he conditioned and – oh, my, Angeal was giving him the Look; the same one he usually reserved for the SOLDIER cadets when he caught them sneaking around the barracks after hours. Normally, nothing fazed the redhead at all, however when Angeal was in a mood to do someone bodily harm even _Sephiroth_ would be sent running for the hills. The commander's survival hinged on whatever it was Persephone was going to say.

"I…I'll be his mother! I'll give him a birthday!"

Neither had expected her to say _that_ of all things.

Now it was Genesis' turn to be stunned as he tried to process what the girl on his lap was telling him, face now screwed into a look of determination and stubbornness that told them no one was going to argue with her about this. Not that it would stop her father from trying, despite knowing how futile it was. When Genesis was back in his faculties, he laughed. He laughed long and hard as he imagined tiny, _tiny_ Persephone mothering all too tall Sephiroth in some twisted David and Goliath scenario.

"Seffie," began Angeal, his lecture voice on, "you can't adopt Sephiroth."

Wrinkling her nose, Persephone countered with, "Why not? You adopted me, Papa Angeal, so why can't I adopt uncle Sephiroth?"

"It's not as easy as that," Angeal tried to explain, as Genesis was coming down from his laughing fit. "There's a lot of work behind adoption. Paperwork, talking to social workers, trying to see if the adoption would work out, trials, not to mention the money involved."

"That's silly. And completed."

"Ah, from the mouth of babes," Genesis said, chuckling.

"I think you mean 'complicated', sweetheart," Persephone's father corrected, smiling as well. The little girl, despite being older and a little wiser, still had trouble pronouncing some words correctly, or simply finding the 'right' word when she clearly had a very limited vocabulary.

Persephone was not going to be deterred so easily; one had to wonder where she had gotten her stubborn streak from, when she didn't drop the subject as any other child in her situation would. To her, Sephiroth not having a birthday was incomprehensible and something that had to be rectified at all costs, never mind that she was only a grade schooler. She would find a way to make things right.

"I have to be Sephiroth's mother! I want to give him a birthday! That's how it's done!"

Angeal and Genesis looked at one another helplessly, the both of them now in one very deep dilemma that would not solve itself. For many reasons. Set in her ways, Persephone really wanted to have a birthday for Sephiroth, but what had prompted this? Angeal recalled his daughter putting her homework aside and walking up to him, then asking when her uncle's date of birth was. All too soon the burly SOLDIER realized he did not really know and soon recalled all past attempts to celebrate a day he wasn't even sure of.

Slipping off of Genesis' thigh, Persephone stood with her fists at her sides, biting her lower lip. She chewed it, mulling over things before speaking once more to her audience of two. "If I can't be his mommy…how can I give him a birthday? Everyone should have a birthday…it's a special day just for them." Her young face showed the drive she had for this one endeavour, but her eyes showed she was breaking down and getting ready to cry. No one understood what she was trying to do and it was upsetting for her. Sniffling, she cast her gaze downwards.

"I mean…Uncle Sephiroth is…always so busy and never has time for fun and he gets lonely from time to time, right? He should have a special just for him and only him and…and…and…"

"Stop," Genesis ordered, his tone sharp enough to cut diamonds. His command made Persephone gasp and a tear rolled down her cheek, unbidden, leaving behind a wet trail from the corner of her eye. "Persephone Hewley…how much do you care for your uncle?"

Blinking I confusion, she answered, "A…a lot!"

Genesis shook his head. Angeal watched, wondering what his friend's game was this time.

"I'm not convinced. Tell me, Persephone…just how much do you care about your uncle?"

Her body went rigid as she stood straight, eyes wide as she regarded her uncle who was usually gentle with or relaxed around. It was quite a change from his usual vainglorious self.

"A lot!" Persephone chirped.

A smirk came onto the redhead's lips and he nodded, acknowledging this. He continued, "So, does it matter whether or not you are his mother? Would your love change?"

The girl faltered here and looked at her father for a sign of what to do. Angeal just nodded at her, quietly urging her to go on. Turning her blue eyes back to the man in red, she gave her reply.

"Um, no, sir! I'll still love Uncle Sephiroth no matter what! Even if he ate worms!"

A grimace was fought here- valiantly so – by Genesis and he hid his momentary disgust of the mental image that came to mind by snorting. "Well, then, if you love him that much, it won't matter if you just decide to give him a birthday all on your own, does it?"

Persephone stared.

Angeal stared.

Genesis had a very smug smirk.

Then, Persephone tackled her uncle round the waist in an excited hug.

"Uncle Genesis, you're the greatest!"

Ego stroked, the redhead pet his girl's head affectionately. "Aren't I always?"

Ah, the things Genesis did for their little ragtag family.

**S – S – S – S**

It had been a long arduous day at the labs. More than the usual blood samples, other parts of his body had been harvested by Hojo and the mako saturation had been upped to over thirty-five percent. Sephiroth was tired, aching and wishing more than anything that he could just go home and get into bed and not get up for the next week or so. However, an entire military operation depended on him being around and taking a vacation in the middle of an important war – on standby or not – was not an option.

That morning when he had been called down by Hojo Sephiroth had been working on filling out relief requests from the efforts in Wutai, going through stacks of reports from SOLDIERs returning from missions and composing a reply to Director Lazard concerning another set of peace talks with Lord Godo. The silver-haired man hadn't even gotten through a quarter of it when he had gone up to the laboratories and now it was evening and all that work had to be done before he clocked out. Looking at a wall clock, the general noted that it was well past seven o' clock and Angeal and Persephone would have gone home by now. The girl had become a part of his routine now wherein Angeal would pick her up from school, bring her in to headquarters where the little thing would come visit her uncles (after her homework was done); Sephiroth had become quite accustomed to having her rush into his office for a quick chat and a hug.

Sephiroth had gotten better at hugging her. He was not too strong, but neither was he too lax in his embrace. Just right, Persephone had assured him, before going back to her father's office. The only exception to this rule would be when the girl had physical education during the day, in which case, she would wind up staying in his office, because it still had all the blankets and pillows from when he would look after her during the summer.

She would not be here today and Sephiroth couldn't help feeling a little depressed about it. Such was the influence her existence had on his life; hugging the girl proved to be very therapeutic soothing, especially after a long day dealing with the inadequacies of the executive board, a sanctimonious president and the madness of a hack scientist who could not live up to the memory of a true scientist.

All that awaited him was paperwork this evening and that was all that Sephiroth expected to find on his desk.

He hadn't expected the blueberry muffin sitting atop a colourfully wrapped box with a hand drawn card resting against it. On a piece of folded printer paper was a childish drawing of three men and a lady around a cake, illustrated with crayon. Looking at the colors chosen, he could tell who was who in the picture and smiled. Taking a seat behind his desk, he picked up the muffin and took a small bite out of it as he opened the card.

He almost dropped the muffin as he read the message inside. At first, his express was one of absolute shock, then morphed into incredulousness; then he looked a mite irritated, but the irritation gave way to warmer feelings that made his heart swell within his chest.

_Papa Angeal says that you don't know when your birthday is._

_Uncle Genesis says that no one was there to give you one._

_So I'm giving you one. Today is your new birthday! Happy birthday, Uncle Sephiroth!_

_I love you._

_-Seffie_

Smiling gently, he tucked the card away into a special drawer in his desk, which was almost full of Valentine's cards. He would have loved to keep it out in the open where everyone could see – it was more like a strange, alien urge to show off to people, honestly, that made the general feel slightly uncomfortable – but as a general, the Great Sephiroth, there were many high expectations of him and the image he portrayed. He could not be seen with such a childish looking card and that was fine. There was a part of him that wanted to guard Persephone's affection almost jealously and locking the card away where no one, but him, could see it worked for him.

So, he had a card and a muffin as a cake; this left the present on his desk. Carefully, the man opened the present, still feeling touched at the sentiment Persephone was sending him. A birthday. Not his actual one, but one meant for celebrating; a gift from a darling little girl who worried over him.

However, inside the gift box was another card and this one had handwriting he clearly recognized.

_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus and take to the sky._

Loveless, Sephiroth, thought, with a groan. Curiously, there were only snippets of the infamous poem on the card and in the wrong order. Just what was Genesis getting at?

_There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the goddess._

What did Genesis say about Persephone's name a while ago? Ah, yes, she was named after a goddess of some kind. A…goddess of spring; of renewal. Perhaps, in this interpretation, this is what his friend meant?

_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting._

Well, there was certainly nothing as everlasting like a birthday. A gift from Persephone on his birthday, was the birthday itself it was something to be treasured and shared and celebrated. To give thanks for his own existence, though he had always thought it more appropriate to give the mother all the thanks for sacrificing and going through so much pain in order to bring a child into the world. Oh, he knew when his own birthday was, he simply chose not to celebrate it. Who wanted to celebrate the day that you basically killed your own mother? Sephiroth had been told that his mother died giving birth to him and it was through the grace of Shinra that he was where he was right now. He was powerful, strong and would never be left wanting for anything.

Except, perhaps, the embrace of his mother…

What could have prompted Persephone to do this?

Looking into the box once more, he saw the familiar gentle glow of materia; it must have been hidden by Genesis' note. Reaching in, the silver-haired man was surprised to find that it was an All materia. His mind recalled the Restore he had received for Valentine's and the magic materia responded in kind to his thoughts by glowing in the bangle he wore. And he understood and he smiled.

He rolled the blue sphere between his fingers, then linked it to his Restore.

"_My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess_," Sephiroth quoted quietly to himself. Chuckling, he finished his muffin and then set to work, feeling much better than when he had first entered the inner sanctum of his office.

"Happy Birthday to me."


	16. Storm

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** T

**Prompt: **Storm

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** This one is a little side story of sorts. :3 Hope you guys enjoy it!

**012. Storm**

"_Love that is not madness is not love."_

Persephone had a favourite story that she loved to hear. No, it wasn't Loveless, although she would never object to hearing it for the umpteenth time. The story wasn't really a story, but a re-telling of events past. Sort of like a history lesson, but with a whimsical twist to it. At first, the child of six (at the time) had thought it some fanciful tale her uncle had concocted for her one summer day when her father had left her in his care, but as the years went by, Persephone realized the story for what it truly was.

When she was sixteen, sad and uncertain about her feelings for someone she asked him to tell her the story again.

It went a little something like this…

**Once upon a time, there was a beautiful maiden named Tempest.**

Her name was Tempest Rhapsodos; she was the sole heir to the Rhapsodos family, who owned a prosperous shipping company. She was a lovely lady of twenty-five years old with a love of the sea and ocean blue eyes to match.

**This maiden was like any other, for you see, she was very beautiful and an excellent warrior, to boot. None could compare to her.**

To go along with her ocean coloured eyes, Tempest also had a very stormy temper and like the ocean, it was subject to the turn of the tide in just the blink of any eye. One never knew when Tempest would suddenly turn on you and considering she was no slouch with a sword and materia, one would often find themselves wondering how they had ended up in a hospital with third degree burns and lacerations. However, despite her unladylike tendencies, Tempest' beauty and social position were what drew many people to her; men were constantly at her door, eager to be beaten by her if it meant securing a position in her heart.

It was often easier said than done and more often than not, the men were driven away by her violent temper and tendencies. Becoming rich and inheriting her father's company was not worth being abused or brought to the brink of death.

**Many suitors fell to her charm, but none were capable of capturing her heart. She had laid a test for her suitors unknowingly when she had been young.**

**The young Tempest said, "1000 duels. If someone were to defeat me in 1000 duels, then I shall be their bride."**

A long time ago, when she had been fourteen years old, she had attended fencing lessons with a whole group of children from various ages. Tempest had been the top of her class and was quite popular with her male peers, though she often rebuked them for their advances. To make sure they'd stay away from her, she gave them a most impossible task – if they could beat her a thousand times only then she'd consent to become their bride when they were older.

Of course, this had backfired in young Tempest's face and all the boys became twice as eager to meet her sword. Almost every day boys would come to her door and ask for a duel and before the first minute was over, the young lady would have scored three points against the challenger. It would seem that the heiress was just as eager to make sure she was free from the boys, fighting viciously as possible.

It did little to help her temper, which grew worse and worse as time went on.

**There was once a boy, a soldier's son, who had fallen in love with the maiden. They had met upon the ocean's shore and the boy had been utterly entranced by her unique beauty.**

Nemesis had been a childhood friend of Tempest's, though he was significantly younger than she was. He was a sweet boy and the son of a soldier, though his love lied not with the sword, but in literature and theatre. They first met when Nemesis was only eight years old and Tempest, twelve, by the shores of a sandy beach near their home.

It had been a cool day and quite windy. Nemesis had been swimming and playing when he saw a bright red scarf go flying across the sky. The red-haired boy had thought it some kind of strange bird and had followed it until it landed on a root that stuck out from a cliff side. There was a cry behind him and he turned around to see a girl rushing up to him, curly brown hair flying all over the place as she ran. Right then and there, Nemesis was quite sure he had never seen anything so breathtaking and his young heart clenched in a way he didn't quite understand at first. However, the magic that was growing within him dimmed down considerably when Tempest spoke for the first time.

She was pushy, bossy and was harsher and rougher than any girl had the right to be. However, once the shock of her overbearing personality passed, Nemesis was truly and utterly sure, that he had never met a more charming girl in his life. Though she had a caustic tongue and every other word was venomous at best, little Nemesis thought it was pretty cute.

The scarf belonged to Tempest; she had lost it when a particularly strong wind blew it right off from her neck. She wanted it back, but now she had to face the fact that she would never be able to get it back. Dressed as she was in fine clothes of an upper class girl, she wouldn't be able to retrieve her scarf without doing irrevocable repair to her dress.

Nemesis volunteered to get back her lost scarf, much to the girl's surprise.

It took the soldier's son five tries and he got many scrapes and bruises, but the smile on Tempest's face was totally worth it. It also didn't hurt that he received a kiss and was nursed by the usually stormy Tempest until he was all better. He pretended that things were worse off than they really were, playing up his injuries for all they were worth; he was a total ham.

Oddly enough, Tempest never called him on it and they were friends ever since.

**The boy became a man and had taken up the maiden's request. "1000 duels," he agreed. "No more, no less."**

**And so they battled fiercely, day after day.**

Tempest hated Nemesis with all of her being. She really and truly hated him. She wished the guy would just go to hell, especially after the nasty defeat she had suffered recently. As if losing to some commoner wasn't bad enough, the great big idiot had cut her hair, too! Her glorious brown curls! Ruined!

Huffing in indignation, she wondered what sparked this sudden interest in fighting from her former best friend…what had made him want to throw their friendship away like he had, when she was sixteen. Tempest suspected that it had to do with her father buying his mother's own company, which had been on the verge of bankruptcy, if they hadn't taken over and raised it to the level that it was. The Rhapsodos Shipping Company had a habit of taking the ordinary and turning it into the extraordinary. You might say everything they touched turned to gold.

Nemesis had been stubborn about keeping the company that had once belonged to his father's family, passed down from generation to generation. It would have been his to inherit when he became older. But as things went, he wouldn't have had a cent by the time he turned eighteen. Didn't he see they were doing him a favour?

And then, all of a sudden, this little slip of a boy came up to her and challenged her to a fight of all things! He didn't tell her why, but he just started attacking her and it was all Tempest could do to defend herself under his vicious strikes! Since when had Nemesis been so good at sword fighting? The boy had always been at the bottom rung of their class! Dead last even!

But now…almost every day, he came by, just looking for a fight with her, determination for an unknown cause shining in his eyes. And he'd beat her again and again. It was humiliating and frustrating and though the losses should have made her run with her tail between her legs at the sight of him, Tempest readily rose to each occasion. She trained harder than ever before, to regain her lost reputation as a fierce fighter, but there was always some driving force that gave Nemesis victory over her.

It was truly exhilarating, if really irritating at the same time. Ever since that first fight, things had never been the same between them. Having lost count of how many times they fought, Tempest didn't know when or how, but she came to enjoy those fights…came to look forward to seeing him at times. Oh, how he hated that idiotic Nemesis at times and wanted so badly to send a Firaga his way, but, deep down…she…

Things would never be the same again, that day when he had cut her hair. Coming home, hair significantly shorter than before and defeat permeating her very being, her father met Tempest at the door as said,

"You are getting married."

**However, unknown to the maiden and the soldier's son, Tempest had already been promised to another. She was to marry the ruler of a far, eastern kingdom of steel and earth, far away from her home near the ocean and its blues and greens. The king there had fallen for the maiden and promised her all kinds of riches that no one had ever seen. However, the maiden did not love him, nor did she wish to marry him.**

**And so, on the eve of their last duel, the soldier's son came to the maiden's rescue.**

Nemesis could not believe it. But then, how could he not? Thomas Shinra was one of the richest – if not, _the_ richest – man on Gaia. He had all the power in the world and could pick any lady he wanted for a wife and Tempest's father would be an idiot to refuse him his daughter's hand in marriage. And who was he? Someone who constantly hurt the woman he loved, because of a promise made in their youth. It had become his driving force, since losing his father and then his company. What dream did he have, beyond inheriting and then running his father's company? None.

So he had looked for another dream, one that he had buried deeply within himself, since he first laid eyes on the girl who chased her scarf along a beach so long ago.

So close, he thought. He had beaten Tempest in nine hundred and ninety-nine duels to date, consecutively. It had been a long, weary, troublesome road, but it was one he had traversed on his own by the strength of his own two legs and the swiftness of his rapier. And it was going to be all for naught the next day; Shinra was not going to wait for his bride and they would be wed immediately when he arrived from Junon.

Well, Nemesis was not going to take it sitting down.

The night before the wedding, Nemesis went to Tempest's house. He threw a stone at her window to get her attention and forced her to come down. The man was going to put forth one last ditch effort.

"What do you want, Nemesis? It's late and I need my beauty sleep," Tempest said haughtily, pulling her shawl around her shoulders. Despite the fact that she wanted him gone, he could see her rapier hanging off hr belt. Hair short and dishevelled, wearing only a nightgown and covered by a shawl, she looked absolutely dazzling in the moonlight to him.

"_My dear, I have tried with all of my being to grasp a form comparable to thine own, but nothing seems worthy_," was Nemesis' airy reply, as he unsheathed his rapier. One more time, he told himself.

Tempest tensed a moment, before pulling out her own sword. "What are you going on about, Nemesis?"

Nemesis smiled at her then, ever so pleasantly. "One thousand duels."

"What?"

"To this day, I have defeated you in nine hundred and ninety-nine duels. When you were young, you promised that you would wed the first man who could defeat you one thousand times. I doubt Thomas Shinra has even fought you once, my dear." Nemesis closed his eyes a moment and continued with the poem he had been reciting before.

"_I know now why Shakespeare could not  
compare his love to a summer's day.  
It would be a crime to denounce the beauty  
of such a creature as thee,  
to simply cast away the precision  
Minerva had placed in forging you._

Each facet of your being  
whether it physical or spiritual  
is an ensnarement  
from which there is no release.  
But I do not wish release.  
I wish to stay entrapped forever.  
With you for all eternity.  
Our hearts, always as one."

Tempest shifted uncomfortably where she stood. "…So, what does that mean?"

Nemesis chuckled, raising a hand up to flip his auburn hair out of his eyes.

"What it means, my dear, is that if I win this final duel tonight, you must run away with me. I have fought you almost a thousand times and won just as many times, in order to win your heart…I will not have some upstart of a man come along and snatch you away from me."

That night, Nemesis lost for the first time. Tempest's sword was close to his face as he laid on the ground, winded and beaten. He stared up at her as her ocean blue eyes glared down at him. In her other hand, was a charging materia, most likely one that would leave him burnt and crispy for the next few weeks. He kept his eyes on hers, fully expecting the same treatment other men had received from this stormy maiden; it would be an insult to her for looking away and an insult to his own character if he suddenly became cowardly.

Fire exploded on an apple tree in front of her house, waking everyone in the neighbourhood up from the sound.

Tempest was smiling at him ever so slyly.

"Don't you think I should have my own say in all of this?"

**The maiden's heart was won by the soldier, after many years of trials and tribulations. She was his and he was hers – they had found the one they were meant for.**

**So they ran away from the king and her father, to a place all their own where apples grew. Where a sweet wind always blew and the skies were as blue as the maiden's eyes. The soldier's son married the maiden and they found true love in one another, amidst apple blossoms that were blooming out of season.**

Tempest was sitting on her rocking chair, overlooking the apple orchard with a small frown. She had not been feeling well as of late, but it probably had more to do with the fact that she was six months pregnant now and still had morning sickness. She sighed heavily, wondering where Nemesis was at the moment; he had said he would be going to check on the crops in the rest of the town, but honestly! It shouldn't be taking him all day.

Bastard shouldn't be keeping her waiting like this. Where was he?

Foot steps behind her caught her attention and Tempest turned to see her husband coming up to her, a Banora White – her favourite fruit to eat since the start of her pregnancy – in his right hand, apple blossoms in his left and poetry spilling from his lips.

"_A gentle word like a spark of light,  
Illuminates my soul  
And as each sound goes deeper,  
It's you that makes me whole_

There is no corner, no dark place,  
Your love cannot fill  
And if the world starts causing waves,  
It's your devotion that makes them still

And yes you always speak to me,  
In sweet honesty and truth  
Your caring heart keeps out the rain,  
Your love, the ultimate roof

So thank you my Love for being there,  
For supporting me, my life  
I'll do the same for you, you know,  
My beautiful, darling wife."

Smiling and shaking her head, Tempest stood up to meet her husband's lips in a kiss to which he responded to in kind. She accepted the apple and the blossoms and gave Nemesis an affectionate peck on the cheek, before summarily smacking his arm.

"You're late, Nemesis," she stated.

"And a happy anniversary to you, too, Tempest," Nemesis replied pleasantly._  
_

"Dinner's cold."

"Most likely."

"You do realize I could melt your face with Firaga right now."

"You could, but you won't."

"And what makes you say that?"

Nemesis carefully embraced his wife from behind, planting a kiss on the top of her as a hand caressed her round belly.

"You would have done it already."

Tempest just huffed at him. "Shut-up and go read some poetry Nemesis."

**And they lived happily ever after.**

**G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G**

**Author's Note 2: **Yeah, I know. Really random story here, but I just had to add it. Plus, it's part of the Three SOLDIERs and a Lady continuity. Wanted to write about Genesis' parents and ended up with this. Perhaps we'll see more of Tempest and Nemesis later on, perhaps when Persephone finally goes to meet Grandma Gillian for the first time in Banora. ;) Also, when Nemesis married Tempest, she insisted he take her name instead of the other way around. Since he's pretty much whipped by Tempest, he agreed to it.

Poems are by Anthony Kolos and David G. Kelly respectively. Anthony's is called 'Entrapment', while David's poem does not have a name.


	17. Missing

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K

**Prompt: **Missing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** I debated with myself about whether or not I should post Persephone's first day and then what went on with the SOLDIERs during said first day, or the other way around. I decided with the guys first. You'll be treated to Persephone's magnificent first day of class the next chapter with, perhaps, a few familiar faces amongst the student body. ;) Consider them special guest appearances. Also, would anyone consider a special dedicated to Dissidia interesting?

**013. Missing**

"_Today is the first day of the rest of your life."_

Everything was quiet in Angeal's office. Other than the telltale _click-click-click_ of the keyboard of the man's computer and the occasional exasperated sigh, nothing else made a sound or stirred within the confines of the room. The SOLDIER First was hard at work making a dent into his pile-up of paperwork, a frown marring his face as he read over a report by his student pertaining to an extermination mission he had taken up not-too-long ago with a small division of the Shinra infantry. The hand writing was _terrible_.

A small groan escaped Angeal's lips and he rubbed at his face with his hands. It had only been less than two hours since he had dropped Persephone off at her first day of school at Shinra Elementary and he was already feeling the effects of it. Not even when Zack had gone on his first mission without him had Angeal felt too awfully choked up about the matter – and he had _hounded_ the boy about making sure to bring his potions and Cure materia for a good ten minutes before he allowed him to leave.

_But Seffie isn't a grown-up SOLDIER Third...she's just a six-year-old little girl on her own in a new env__ironment_, the dark-haired man mused to himself. _I wonder what she's up to right now...?_

It was ten o'clock, which meant it was time for morning recess. His little girl should be out playing with her new friends right now. _If_ she made friends. What if she didn't make any friends? What if all the other kids had formed cliques during the few weeks his daughter had been sick and now Persephone was the odd one out? And what if they were _teasing_ her because she had been ill? And what if—

"No, no, _no_, Angeal...you are _not_ going to start stressing over this," the man told himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was just school, he told himself. He had gone to school and had come out perfectly fine from it all. Same for Genesis and Sephiroth (although the latter had a vastly different upbringing than his Banoran friends). Persephone was a brave, sweet girl. She was going to be all right, right?

_Concentrate, Angeal_, he scolded himself, the irony not lost on him. _You have work to be focusing on right now. _Right. There were no Wutai spies running around the elementary school, he told the teacher about Persephone's peanut allergy and Genesis was all the way in Wutai and far away from his niece. Angeal's daughter was safe. Safe and happy and he will see her later on in the evening when he picked her up.

And yet, Angeal could not help the oddly sad, lonely feeling that crept into his heart as he made himself focus on Zack's report. It was going to be a very long day.

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

Pillows. _Check._

Blankets. _Check._

Young niece about to rush into his office in 3...2...1...

Sephiroth stared at the couch and the carefully arranged pillows and blankets, his lips set in a thin line.

Ah, that's right. Persephone was at school right now. Sheer habit had made the Silver General bring out the pillows and blankets for the small girl; even when she had been hospitalized he arranged the couch for her. Sephiroth was a creature of habit and having his daily routine disturbed made him feel a little uncomfortable. He supposed that having the child absent from his life would be something he would have to adjust to.

He smiled to himself as he bent to pick up one of the pillows, musing over how his life had been turned so completely upside down by a mere slip of a girl. It had been only a short time, but he had grown quite used to having Persephone underfoot on a daily basis; it would take a bit of time before things went back to the way they were before she popped into his life. From now on, he supposed, he would only be catching glimpses of the girl now that she was attending school. Angeal had spoken to him about letting his daughter stay at school after hours in their daycare service; unless there was no other choice, Persephone would not be coming back to Shinra Headquarters.

Somehow the idea of not seeing his niece as he had the last few weeks made Sephiroth feel oddly...empty.

_Her presence will be missed_, thought the general, holding the girl's favourite pillow. The case was a shade of sky blue and was very unlike all the others he had brought for her use over the summer; she always used it to cradle her head as she napped while he worked. The silver-haired man suddenly glared at the inanimate object, his gaze almost disapproving of its existence.

The pillow, predictably, gave nothing away.

Exhaling softly, Sephiroth made to put the pillow away back in the closet, but stopped short of the door. His cat-like eyes went to the item in his hands, then back to the pile back on the couch. He deliberated for a few moments before walking back to the couch and replacing the pillow carefully among the others. The general smoothed out the blankets, then went to his desk and sat in his chair.

He chuckled sardonically.

It was going to be a long day.

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

Genesis really, really, _really_ hated peace talks. Truthfully, he liked it better when they were bombing the hell out of one another, dodging swords and bullets alike, people screaming and land exploding under his feet while his Rapier flashed and his Firaga dancing through the enemy lines. Ever since the ceasefire had been called, Genesis had been in a totally foul mood. The Red Commander was not widely known as a diplomat; he certainly didn't want to be known as the 'Hero Who Resolved Things Peacefully'. Where was the glory in that?

Of course, the redhead was not as vain as many would think; while he did not appreciate the tedious process of negotiating with the enemy, his men were more than happy with the lull in the action. Less fighting meant less injuries and death in their ranks. But just sitting around and waiting for a message from the Wutai representative was dreadfully _boring_. Babysitting his niece was more exciting than this thrice be-damned war.

Sitting in his tent, a smirk came onto Genesis' lips as he thought about all the disastrous times he had been allowed to look after Persephone. It felt like an eternity since he last saw the little girl, but he could recall with great clarity every little detail of her cute face as she smiled, pouted and even _yelled_ at him. Rather than being a deterrent, he thought Persephone's face as she shouted at him for something he did to her was utterly _charming_, which led to the older man to tease his niece every chance he got. And, somehow, she _still_ adored him.

There had been mixed feelings in the man when he had left Midgar to go to war. He was glad to get back into the thick of things once more, since being domestic never quite suited him – _he left that to Angeal_ – however, upon having to make his farewells to the new addition in his life, he gave pause.

He had long come to accept his role as a role model and pillar of support for Persephone, taking up the role of a family member that no one else could have. It had hit him when he had been rushing to save the girl from Wutai spies who had kidnapped her. And it had made itself known once more when he found a pair of disappointed eyes looking up at him the evening before he was shipped off to Wutai. It had been after Genesis had gone for his daily workout session and Persephone was in his office. Those big blue eyes of hers had watered and her lips trembled and he really, really, really hated watching her cry and he scooped her up before the waterworks began.

She was small and all too cuddly and he just held her as she snuggled him. She didn't want him to go, though no words were said. He knew. He understood, in a way. But he had to go. And she knew it.

"_Heroes are busy people_," Genesis had told her. The girl had nodded and let him get back to winding down. Or tried. It was then that he found that he couldn't quite let the girl go; to reiterate, Persephone was quite cuddly and it was very soothing to be holding her small form in his arms after his workout. She didn't mind, as it gave her an excuse to stay in her uncle's company a bit longer, before Angeal came looking for her.

Staring at his empty hands, he clenched and unclenched them, the leather of his gloves creaking from the action. It had been weeks since he last held her and his hands felt irritatingly empty and more than once the urge to hold something constantly came up. He wouldn't admit that the thing she wanted to hold was a sickly little girl in Midgar…

"Sir!" saluted an army grunt. "A Wutai messenger has just arrived with a missive for you."

Heaving a breath, Genesis waved for the infantryman off as he stood up to go and meet the messenger. He hoped that he was going to receive some good news – or an excuse to blow something up.

"It's going to be a very, _very_ long day…" Genesis grumbled, strapping Rapier to a belt at his waist.

"_Even if the morrow is barren of promises…nothing shall forestall my return…"_

Speaking of promises, he made one to Persephone earlier when he wished her luck on her first day that morning: to rescue a princess as well as give her a greeting from his niece. Now where in the world was he going to find a princess all the way out here…?

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

The day passed at a snail's pace. Angeal managed to get his paperwork done and read all the appropriate reports, signed papers, crossed his T's and dotted his I's. It had taken him everything to just stay focused on his work, rather than let his mind wander onto the fact that his office was too quiet and empty and void of the life it used to have. The fact that every office was built exactly the same in their greys and blacks had not bothered him before, but with the absence of Persephone, there came an absence in color.

_Like winter had suddenly set in_, the commander thought. _And I'm not the only one suffering from it._

Sephiroth, Angeal found, was also at a loss, though he appeared more composed about the whole thing. He had to check on something with his superior officer pertaining to allotment of equipment, which meant a quick visit to the general's office. One glance at the usually immaculate office was enough to let the burly SOLDIER know that his friend had his own anxieties and his own way of coping with empty nest syndrome.

Sephiroth kept his 'nest' ready for when their chick returned.

It was almost ridiculous how the two of them had almost become undone from the peace and quiet at head quarters – not even a single emergency call to arms broke into the monotony of the day. Neither of them could remember what it was like before becoming surrogate guardians with responsibilities outside of SOLDIER. Sephiroth suggested that they go train, but Angeal turned him down, saying it wouldn't be fair without Genesis to keep things balanced. Angeal suggested they have lunch together, but the general had eaten some soup delivered to him by Mary from Accounting, so that idea was out.

"It is…difficult," Sephiroth out of the blue to Angeal as he looked over the papers his friend had dropped off for him.

"What is?" Angeal inquired.

"Not…having her here."

"It just means we miss her," was the young father's reply. His words were tinged in some sadness, but he smiled softly, proudly. "And it also means that she's an important part of our lives, because we miss her."

Sephiroth smiled tentatively, nodding in agreement. "It's still…rather new."

"First child always is. Never know if things will work out or not…if you're doing right or wrong by them…but I decided not to regret and just…do my best."

"Your best is _painful_, Angeal," stated Sephiroth, surprising the other man. "To yourself and everyone around you. It's rather…disruptive, to be honest."

Sighing, the dark-haired SOLDIER just sat heavily on the couch, accidentally sending one of the pillows onto the carpet. It was the only blue one amongst all the white-covered pillows; he set it back amongst the others. "So what do you suggest, Sephiroth?"

There was a glint in the general's eyes as he put his documents on the desk.

"I suggest…a less…disorienting approach to our situation…"

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

Somehow. He managed it. He didn't know how or when or why it had happened, but Genesis was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Somewhere in between getting a missive from a messenger from Lord Godo himself, reading said missive and then chasing the messenger away without shooting him, Genesis had rescued a princess and gave her greetings, as requested by his niece. However, he was pretty sure that the royal lady Persephone had in mind had been more regal in bearing with many skirts, fine manners and was supposed to be much, much, much taller than the person he had rescued from being trampled by a wild behemoth.

Yuffie Kisaragi, age nine; crown princess of Wutai and sole daughter of Lord Godo. A precocious child who believed herself very much capable of fighting off Shinra all by herself as well as the behemoth she had enraged by throwing 'shuriken' at it. The large purple beast did not like having rocks thrown at it and had wanted to make a bite sized snack out of the princess and would have, had Genesis not stormed off into the wild after reading Godo's less than pleasant message.

Upon realizing that she was in trouble _and_ a princess, the SOLDIER in red rushed to her aid, felling the beast quickly.

Which angered Yuffie immensely and she actually _shouted_ at him for interfering in her _battle_. He would have been insulted at her lack of manners and sailor mouth (Genesis was pretty sure no child her age should know such foul language, especially a royal), had she not resembled Persephone somewhat. Though she was much taller and older, the short hair was almost identical to his niece's and the way the princess held herself as she righteously gave him a piece of her mind was familiar. All hunched up and wrinkled nose and flushed face. Just like Persephone when she was upset with him over one thing or another.

So he let her off, giving her a small greeting from Midgar before allowing the young Wutai princess to return home before someone less merciful than him found her. As an afterthought, he patted the girl's head. Big mistake.

Using their close proximity Yuffie had kicked the SOLDIER in the shin before running off, blowing a raspberry at him. Why the rotten little…

Gaia, he _hated_ children.

_Well, not _all_ of them…_There was still one child he didn't mind being around who had good manners and acted like a lady and was grateful when she was rescued and—

Genesis looked at his bangle on his left wrist, suddenly feeling lighter in body and senses. His expression was blank as he beheld the accessory, which was devoid of two very important orbs.

His materia. They were gone!

"…_The fates are cruel._"

Gaia, he hated children. But at least he could honestly say he kept his promises to them. Genesis could only hope that Persephone's happiness for his good deed of the day was worth his best materia.

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

"Uncle Sephiroth!"

The silver-haired man smiled gently from behind his desk. He was in the middle of approving the request for better equipment Angeal had left him earlier when the door to his office slid open, revealing an overly excited girl who ran into the room, her father's voice chastising her about running. Her backpack was dropped on the floor – which earned another scolding about leaving her things carelessly about – and Persephone immediately latched onto his arm.

"Did you miss me? Did you? Did you?" the girl asked, her words quick and herself, breathless. Both adults were pleased to see her, of course, and had, indeed missed her immensely, for short time she had been gone. Genesis would probably feel the same, if he weren't so 'allergic' to children and not currently stationed in Wutai. "I have so much to tell you! I made some new friends and the teacher is so nice and I did lots and lots and lots and—"

"_Breathe_, Persephone," Angeal said with a light chuckle. His daughter's enthusiasm was a welcoming sight and when he had gone to pick her up early, at Sephiroth's suggestion, he had worried that, perhaps, he would go to the school to find her weeping and missing them as they had her. No such luck. Upon finding her in her class, he saw her being well-adjusted and happy and she even asked him if she could stay _longer_. The girl actually looked disappointed when he announced they had to go, but appeased her when he said that she would be back the next day.

The girl obediently inhaled, then exhaled…before running at the mouth in a manner reminiscent of Zack when he was on a sugar rush during de-briefing. If Angeal weren't so used to listening to his student ramble at the speed of light, he might never have been able to understand a single word coming out of his darling daughter's mouth. Sephiroth, unfortunately, was still getting used to Zack's unique mannerisms, so when his niece started talking he was almost bowled over by her high energy and ability to string together words rapidly to tell the tale of her wonderful first day of school.

In the end, Sephiroth just chuckled at her enthusiasm, as Angeal tried to translate what she was saying into something more coherent.

But, more importantly, they both answered her question.

"Yes, we both felt the repercussions of your absence most acutely."

Persephone blinked at this, suddenly quiet.

"Huh?"

"We missed you," Angeal supplied in simpler terms.

The girl's expression melted from excitement to sympathy and she hugged her uncle and father. "Aaaaw. I missed you, too." She paused a moment, then added, "And Uncle Genesis, too. It's too bad he isn't here, 'cause I got so much to tell you all."

"I'm sure you'll have your chance, Persephone," Sephiroth said, just as Angeal's phone rang. All eyes went to him as he picked up, chuckling at the caller ID.

"Speak of the Devil and he shall appear. Why don't you answer it, Seffie?" Angeal asked, handing over the phone to his daughter. Gingerly, she took the device into her hand and answered shyly, this being the first time she ever got to use a cell phone of any kind. A fond smile appeared on the father's lips as his daughter's bright blue eyes lit up, hearing her other uncle's voice on the other end. Happy to talk to him again, Persephone went over to the couch in Sephiroth's office and plopped herself onto it. Absently, she grabbed onto her favourite pillow and held it close as she spoke to her uncle, listening to him talk about what happened in Wutai, while also telling him what had gone on during school.

It was quite a sight and despite Persephone's current inability to hold still at the moment, it was endearing.

And everything felt right in the world once again to Angeal.

"…? Sephiroth, are you doing paperwork?"

"I suddenly found the motivation to finish my work."

Oddly enough, so did Angeal.

"Do you mind…?"

"Not at all, Angeal. And it's still early…shall we have dinner at seven?"

"Seven sounds good. If you can, try to get Seffie to do her homework till then. She has a few math problems to do and a reading comprehension exercise."

"Duly noted, Commander, dismissed," Sephiroth acknowledged, smiling slightly.

Angeal chuckled and did a mock salute. "Thank you, General."

As Persephone continued her conversation with a frustrated Genesis, Angeal left his superior's office to leave him to his work and to get back to his own, feeling much lighter and fuller than he had earlier in the day.

Nothing was missing anymore.

"Hey, Uncle Genesis, did you know that I made new friends…"

"Oh? What are their names, little goddess?"

"Well, one of them is called Shelke and the other one…"


	18. School

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **School

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** Oh, man. This is the first chapter where it's mostly from Persephone's point of view. I tried my best to write her to be as lovable as possible, without her coming off as…being…_blech_. Also…special cameos for the lulz!

**014. School**

"_Courage is the power to let go of the familiar."_

"Hey, Uncle Genesis, did you know that I made new friends…?"

"Oh, what are their names, little goddess?"

"Well, one of them is called Shelke and the other one…"

Persephone paused there. "Well, I really made a lot of new friends, but Shelke and that boy are 'special' friends."

"Well, then…tell me all about your day."

"Okay! My day started with Papa Angeal and Doctor Hollander taking me to school together…"

**Earlier that day…**

The Shinra Elementary was a school that was situated in Sector Five, right across from the Shinra Military Academy and next to the Shinra Middle School. In fact, all three institutes were located on the same spacious campus that stretched generously from one end of the sector to the other. The facilities were more than appropriate, clean and well-cared for, though none could argue that the elementary school that was connected to the middle school was the most hospitable of all three.

There were impressionable children in there – children of executives, high ranked officers and the upper class attending, after all – so it goes without saying that the atmosphere was a lot more cheerful and colourful than at the other schools. Well, as cheerful and colourful as a school sitting on top of a plate did, at any rate. Nothing grew in Midgar and having something as simple as grass was considered a luxury in the industrial city.

Angeal's apartment had more green in it than Shinra Elementary, but it was the best educational institution that Midgar had to offer with after school programs such as a day care, which would help with the SOLDIER First immensely. Lazard was being a little less forgiving with his early departure, as of late, no matter the emergencies that kept arising every other minute. Angeal felt like it had been forever since he became a father, even though the truth was that it had been only a few months thus far.

Today was the first day of school for Persephone, and like Angeal, the girl would have quite a bit to catch up on.

Persephone was holding her father's hand, looking absolutely apprehensive as she stared up at the building where her future classmates awaited her. Her other hand was grasping onto Hollander's (he felt the need to be there with the girl as her doctor and a friend of the family) as well, her grip making their knuckles white.

"What if they don't like me?" Persephone asked quietly, concern evident in her tone. This was her first time in a real school with children her age. She was nervous and felt painfully shy; the latest illness-related episode that ended up with her in the Shinra infirmary had caused her to become even more dependant on Angeal and his presence. She squeezed the SOLDIER's hand. "What if the teacher doesn't like me?"

Angeal smoothed his thumb along his anxious daughter's knuckles encouragingly. "It'll be fine, Seffie."

Persephone looked anything, but brave at that moment. In fact, she looked ready to bolt back to the car, if it weren't for the two adult hands holding her own. Angeal felt a little mixed up about the whole affair himself.

On the one hand, he was rather excited that he would be seeing his child off to her first day of school. It was another step in their lives together and one of the many 'firsts' Angeal had been looking forward to when he became Persephone's adopted father. However, he also felt bad about leaving Persephone in the care of strangers and at the mercy of people who didn't quite understand her situation. And...perhaps...he was already experiencing the beginnings of empty nest syndrome. It was going to be odd not having her around at all hours

Persephone shared the same sentiments; she was going to miss her father all day, she knew. Before, the child was used to not having either of her real parents around since they were busy with their scientific research at the Shinra facility in Wutai, but since she came to Midgar with Angeal, she had grown incredibly close and dependant on his company as well as the people she came to know. She didn't want to be left behind again.

She wasn't sure she could do this anymore.

"I don't want to go," Persephone said sulkily.

"It'll be all right. You'll see, you'll enjoy it," her father soothed, his tone not at all convincing. He sounded like he had a few doubts of his own.

"I'm _doomed_."

Hollander roared with laughter at this statement. Persephone didn't know what was so funny and frowned up at the doctor, who only seemed to laugh even more at her serious expression.

"Ah, Persephone, it won't be as bad as that,'" Hollander managed, once his laughing fit subsided, "think of it as an adventure."

An adventure? Well, when he put it that way, it was sort of like an adventure. Persephone was in a new place and strangers she had yet to meet; there was so much to explore and learn and Persephone nothing, but a very curious girl. Going with this point of view, the girl felt a bit better about the whole thing and endeavoured to take on a braver stance on her first day of school as the two men shared a look above her head.

Her class was on the third floor in the west wing of the school. It was still early and the other children had yet to arrive, however, Persephone's homeroom teacher was there getting the class ready for the day. He was a gentle looking young man barely any older than Angeal was and his kind demeanour already had his new charge sold as their gazes met; his name was Laguna Loire.

"Mister Hewley, I presume?" he asked, looking at the wrong person, hand held out to Doctor Hollander. Persephone giggled.

"That's not my papa! _He's_ my papa!" Still giggling, the girl pointed out Angeal, who waved in greeting to the teacher, who immediately blushed in embarrassment at his mistake. Persephone watched as the man started flailing his arms and apologizing profusely about mixing the two of them up, face entirely red; oh, Persephone was sure she was going to love Laguna, for all of his quirkiness. After a few minutes of apologizing till he was blue in the face, Angeal decided to be merciful and stop the man before he hurt himself. The poor man's leg was starting to cramp up!

"I apologize. Again. You just look so young that the thought of you being a father didn't really occur to me," said the school teacher, still just a tad flustered. He was smiling nervously, while scratching the back of his neck, but he soon got over it. "Anyways, I'm Laguna Loire. It's a pleasure to meet you all, especially _you_, Persephone. Do you like the school?"

Though she felt a little bashful after the question had been directed at her, Persephone still answered, "I don't know yet. Maybe?"

"Maybe? Just _maybe_?" Laguna asked in a slightly exaggerated tone, smiling down at the cute girl. He crouched down to her height and poked her on the forehead. Persephone made a sound that was a combination of a giggle and shriek of surprise. "Well, I'll have to make sure you'll _love_ it here, won't I?"

After the introductions were made, the adults were left to discuss things about Persephone, like her health, what she was expected to do in order to catch up with everyone else; these things were important, but not as important as exploring her new environment. The classroom was big and was divided into two halves with one side dedicated to academic pursuits and another towards play. On some shelves she could see some worn toys and the like all lined up haphazardly. None of them had names, she saw, and the girl wondered if they belonged to any of her future peers.

On one wall were little cubbies where the students could place their things; they were all empty at the moment, but they had labels. There was one without a name and she assumed that it would be for her. It was right next to the cubby that belonged to someone named 'Squall'. Persephone heard stories from Zack about how two people next to one another could become 'locker buddies', if things went right. But she was a kid; did this mean that she and Squall were going to be 'cubby buddies'?

While contemplating over what kind of a person this Squall could be, the bell rang signalling that school was about to begin. In the distance one could hear the distinct voices of many young children overlapping one another and the half-Wutai girl seized up in concern.

She ran over to her father, immediately clinging onto his leg, catching him off guard right in the middle of his conversation with her teacher.

"Nervous little thing, isn't she?" noted Laguna, now sporting an expression of concern. Angeal and Hollander had just explained Persephone's 'special' situation to him. Looking about in a rather conspicuous manner, the man suddenly grabbed his leg and started yelping in pain. "Ow, ow, ow! I'll let you three settle things while I go…get rid of this…"

Giving his new charge a smile and a pat on the head, Laguna went to sort out his sudden bout of leg cramps in the hall.

"Persephone, it's time for us to go," Angeal announced, once they were well and truly alone. The girl, once again, looked up at her father with a well practiced 'kicked puppy' expression. Well, more like a 'sulky kitten', in her case. He caressed her hair and her resolve almost dissipated, but she held on stubbornly and would not budge until Hollander was gently prying her away from the SOLDIER's pant leg.

"And time for you to go to school," the old man added. Gingerly, he smoothed the girl's short hair down, though it did nothing to make her seem more feminine, a mission most of Shinra had taken upon themselves after falling for the gender trap that the girl presented. She wrinkled her nose at the gesture and ran her fingers through her hair. "Now be good, dear, and try to not overexert yourself."

"But…_Doctor_—"

Angeal held up a halting hand and the girl stopped talking, looking up at her father expectantly.

"Be brave for me, Seffie. For me. Please?" Angeal reached down and picked up his girl, easily swinging her up into his arms and snuggling her close. Persephone took this opportunity to hug her father tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. She didn't want for him to leave her here, but she relented in the end and just hugged him even tighter before he left.

"I love you, papa Angeal."

"Love you, too, Seffie. Be good. Uphold your honour and never forget your dreams."

Persephone giggled at this. "Papa! I'm not a _SOLDIER_!"

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't have honour and pride like one."

Before father and daughter could get into a heartfelt conversation about honour and pride and _dreams_, Hollander forced Angeal to leave with him just as the classroom started being filled with children who looked at the SOLDIER in awe, while also giving Persephone curious looks when they saw her.

_Here we go_, thought Persephone, swallowing nervously.

Everyone settled into their usual seats in class, unable to help staring at the stranger in their midst and Persephone couldn't help the urge to squirm where she stood. She felt like she was being burnt where she stood at the front of the class and was saved by Laguna's timely arrival. His hand landed gently on the top of her head and the school teacher smiled widely as he introduced her to the class.

"Well, as you've noticed, we've got a new addition to our class…ah, well, more like a late arrival, but lets give a warm welcome to Persephone Hewley!"

The other kids gave their assorted greetings, most really enthusiastic – especially from the girls, of whom there were few in the room – and some not so much. There was one brown haired boy squished in between two rather energetic classmates that just looked away and mumbled a welcome. Or something. She couldn't really tell, though it somehow got on her nerves. The assorted hellos she got made up for 'Mister Grump's' lack of zeal. Most stayed seated, but more than a few decided to get up from their seats to talk to Persephone.

"Nice to meet you!" greeted a boy with sunshine blond hair. He grinned at her beside his friend, who timidly held out a paper flower for her. It looked like a rose. "I'm Tidus and this is Firion."

Another boy "I'm Bartz!"

"Like in Boco the Choo?" Persephone asked, suddenly feeling a little green as she remembered that disastrous live performance of her favourite book series. It still left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You know it!" Bartz stated with pride, before he was summarily shoved out of the way.

"Give the girl some room, Bartz! You're scaring her!" said a boy who was just as small as Persephone was. Out of the entire room, it would seem that the two of them were the smallest in the group in terms of height though they were the same age as everyone. Flicking some blond hair from his eyes he smiled reassuringly at Persephone. "Hi. I'm Zidane. Nice to meet you, Persephone," he said warmly.

"H-hi, Zidane…" the half-Wutai girl replied, suddenly starting to feel a tad overwhelmed. Though Zidane had given her some room by getting Bartz out of the way, the poor girl felt even more closed in then before. Plus, she had never been surrounded by so many boys her own age, either. Or anyone her own age at all. However, she remembered her father's words and tried to be brave.

When a girl came to give her well wishes, Persephone was glad for it. She seemed awfully shy and probably felt as awkward as her fellow female student. "I'm Terra."

Suddenly feeling an odd protective instinct, Persephone smiled at her gently. "I'm Persephone, but you can call me Seffie. Let's be friends, okay?" she offered, which made the other girl brighten up almost immediately. Looking happier than when she first came to greet her, Terra beamed at Persephone and nodded in agreement.

"O-okay!" Terra agreed. Just as two other boys were about to make themselves known (Persephone noticed their hair was an off-shade of white each), Laguna stepped in to rein in his students. It was time for class to start and they had work to do. There was a collective grumble from the excited students who had yet to talk to the newbie in their midst, but as the day would go on the novelty of somebody new eventually wore off. Eventually.

"Why don't you take a seat with Zidane, Bartz and Squall?" Laguna suggested. He pointed over to the two excitable boys she had met earlier, of whom were sitting with 'Mister Grump'. Who was, apparently, her cubby neighbour, Squall.

In the class room were small round tables in which three or four students sat together; there were numbers written on each section of table as well as chair. Later on Persephone learned that these were everyone's assigned seats and each number pertained to one student in Laguna's class. Even her cubby was numbered; she was given the number '7'.

While Squall said nothing to her – more like pointedly ignore her for all he was worth – Zidane and Bartz did their best to make her feel welcome to their table with gusto, which made Persephone feel a lot better; the girl still had a lot of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach and didn't know how school worked in general. The two of them immediately set to corrupting their new friend immediately on the ways of goofing off, to which Persephone took with a grain of salt. Their antics during class did make her smile and she slowly eased into her first day of school.

It was unlike anything the girl from Wutai had ever experienced. This would be her first real interactions with anyone her age since ever. Her parents had never allowed her to talk to anyone in Wutai, with the exception of her nanny and themselves, though they had hardly been around enough to do that. Persephone never doubted their love and devotion to her – especially now, in light of what had occurred not so long ago – but she wished they could have spent more time with her. And now, they never would again…

Just before the first recess bell rang, Persephone felt an odd prickling sensation go down her spine. She soon realized that someone was watching her and found out that it was Squall. As Laguna explained to them about the alphabet, the two of them locked stares. After a moment or two, Squall pointed to his own cheek, tapping the skin there as his face remained expressionless. The girl furrowed her brow at him, mouthing a 'what?'

He tapped his cheek, and then pointed at Persephone's face. She got the message then and touched her cheek and was surprised to find it was wet; she immediately wiped her cheeks, glad that neither Zidane nor Bartz had taken notice.

Looking satisfied with himself, Squall turned his attention back to the front of the class just in time to see Laguna get yet another leg cramp, which had the entire class laughing at the man exaggerated cries of pain. What a ham.

Meanwhile, Persephone was smiling, too, but not at Laguna's anguish. Rather, she was smiling at Squall, who was back to ignoring her again. But that was alright.

_Not so much of a grump, after all._

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

Persephone learned that while school lasted all day, there were breaks for the students in which they could play, study or do whatever they wanted for a short period of time. There were two of them during the day and they were called 'recess'. The first one was a short morning break of twenty minutes, which was helpful for the sleepy-headed student who didn't quick wake-up yet. A good game of kickball always got Zidane and Bartz's blood pumping, though the girls preferred less rough games, Zidane pointed out.

When Persephone admitted that she had no idea what kickball was both of her new friends were appalled at this travesty and set to work explaining how it went and taught her how to play. It was soon revealed that Persephone had a very strong kick and had kicked the ball so far that it went clear across the playground situated outside the elementary school. Even Tidus – the 'star' kickball player of the first grade – was impressed.

"Looks like you have to go get it. Rule is, if you kick it out of the playground, you have to get it yourself," Bartz explained as he tried to see exactly where their ball had landed. He couldn't even see the telltale blue and white of it anymore, for Persephone had kicked it so far. Served him right for telling her to kick the ball with everything she had.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to go so far!" Persephone apologized for the sixth time since the 'home run'. She would go and get the ball back, she promised. "I'll be back!"

"Don't get lost, Seffie!" Zidane supplied, knowing their new friend had no solid idea as to the layout of the school yet, though they had showed her around a bit.

With a wave to her friends, the black-haired girl ran off in search of the missing item she had almost kicked into the stratosphere. She made a beeline for the little picnic area where she saw the ball flying to, before it disappeared out of sight. There were tables and benches lined up in this area, where kids could eat outside, if the weather permitted it and most were busy playing at the moment; the real best time to be eating, Bartz had told her, was during lunch time, the second recess.

"Oh, there you are!" The girl's blue eyes lit up when she spotted the ball and ran towards it, but soon realized that it was stuck up on the branch of a tree. Persephone, having made a promise to get the ball back as well as to be brave and honourable, was undaunted by the fact that she couldn't possibly reach the lost item on her own.

Giving it her all, Persephone went on her toes, but could not even brush her fingers. Jumping proved to be just as fruitful for her – it was just too high! What could she do?

Glancing around, she noticed that there was a table next to her. It was maybe a bit further from the tree than she liked, but if she was really careful, maybe she could push it out?

"You can do it, Seffie! Be brave!" After the pep talk, she felt appropriately psyched up and climbed onto the picnic table, which wobbled dangerously underneath her feet. Taking a deep breath, she reached forward, happy to find that she was at the right height to retrieve the ball. But it was still a far stretch. Her fingers waved in the air and could touch the branch, but it didn't quite dislodge the spherical object. Grunting with effort, she gave a strong swipe and paid for it.

The movement too strong for her precarious perch, Persephone fell forward with a loud shriek of terror. She braced herself for a harsh landing, but was surprised when she landed on something soft and warm. The landing still hurt, of course, but wasn't as bad as she had expected.

"Oof! Are you alright…?"

Then again, she had landed on a person!

Sitting up, she began to apologize over and over, saying she was sorry for hurting him and falling on him and she normally didn't do stuff like that and there was a ball and she had to get it and it was real nice of him to catch her, but now he was hurt and it was all her fault and – well, the poor thing just kept on rambling until she couldn't think of anything else to say. The small girl blushed and finally looked at her saviour and seemed to blush even _more_.

Genesis had gotten her many books to read these past few weeks, other than the Boco the Choo books. Like fairytale books, which she enjoyed very much. The stories were always full of fun adventures, like sword fights, real magic spells and true love, whatever that was. Her favourite characters were always the prince and not the princesses, because it was often the prince that got to do all the rescuing and adventuring, while the silly princesses just sat around all day and had to be saved. All right, maybe Persephone did dream of being saved by a prince one day like most girls her age did, but she didn't expect it to be so soon…

…Because the boy who saved her most definitely looked like a prince from her storybooks with his golden blond hair and his bright blue eyes and his fine clothes. He was a lot older than her, though by how much she didn't know, but the poor girl was completely dumbstruck as she stared down at him.

The mystery prince chuckled at her, patting her head and repeated his question.

"Are you all right?"

Persephone nodded quietly.

He smiled. "Good, then. Do you mind getting off of me? You're sort of crushing my stomach."

Squeaking, the girl got off of her rescuer, who stood up nonchalantly and dusted off his clothes.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Heh, I heard you the first time, um…?" He looked at her expectantly, for what, Persephone didn't have a clue, until it finally hit her that he didn't know her name, nor she his.

"Persephone!" squeaked the girl, blushing bright red again. She immediately bowed to him, then remembered she wasn't in Wutai anymore and did a little curtsy instead. Like a princess to her prince. "Thank you for rescuing me…"

"Hayden," the prince supplied, smiling down gently at her. Persephone blushed redder and was forced to look down at the ground, wondering what was wrong with her. "Not that it's any of my business, but what was a girl like you doing standing on that table? You could have gotten hurt, you know."

Here her face fell and she dejectedly pointed up to the ball she had failed to get down. It stayed stuck there, taunting her with how stuck it was. Her eyes started to water a little, worry and concern over how her new friends might react if she told them she couldn't get it back? She promised to get it and she couldn't. She felt like a rotten friend and they had only just met!

A hand landed on her head, a little heavy, yet comforting. Hayden's hand was on her head.

"That ball, huh?" Hayden mused aloud. He smiled and patted the girl's head. "If that is all that I require to give you back your smile, then I'll go get it for you. It's not too high for me."

Leaving the girl's side, the older boy went over to the ball, easily taking it off of the branch and bringing it back to Persephone, who had a wide-eyed look of wonder on her face. Smiling kindly, Hayden gently placed the lost item into the first grader's hands.

"There we go," he stated, jovially. "Now…about that smile?"

"Huh?"

"I got this back so you could smile again," Hayden explained. "So, please…smile, all right?"

Tentatively, the half-Wutai girl smiled for the boy who saved her not once, but twice. "Thank you Hayden," she said, sweetly. She practically beamed up at him, fully aglow with happiness.

The older boy looked at her quietly a moment, taking in her content expression. He was about to say something else, when the bell rang, signalling the beginning of classes once more.

"Well, looks like this is where we part for now…dear heart. Have yourself a good day."

With a small bow to the little lady, Hayden quickly strode off to class, in the direction of the middle school.

Heart suddenly thumping in her chest, Persephone ran back towards her friends who had been looking for her, since she had been gone so long. Zidane playfully teased her for getting lost, whereas Bartz innocently pointed out her red cheeks and asking if she was sick.

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

The rest of morning classes went by swiftly for Persephone. The girl found out that she excelled at science class and math class, thanks to her parents. During the times she had managed with her mother and father, they would teach her little things about the world around her and more than just a little basic mathematics that went with their work, when she had been curious one day. Of course, there was no way a small child could retain quadratic theory or any of the crazy equations the scientists had tried to instil in their daughter for fun, but Persephone was definitely not dumb and breezed through addition and subtractions no problem! Being the daughter of a pair of scientists had its perks – she inherited their smart!

Or so she liked to believe. Persephone liked to believe she got something from her father, William Redfield, other than his eyes. Or someone in his family's eyes. Persephone didn't know how kids got to be like their parents or how babies get to parents, but she was pretty sure that she really didn't look much like her father at all. The man had brown hair and brown eyes and her mommy, well, she knew she got her black hair from her.

It was something she often thought about before…

Squall had switched seats with Zidane, so he was next to her and would pinch her whenever she got gloomy, something she was grateful for. _Mostly_. She really didn't appreciate being put into the corner by Mister Seagill whenever she gave out a cry of surprise and disrupting class. The sullen looking boy next to her would not say anything or lift a hand to help her in these instances, which would make her be frustrated with him all over again. Gratefulness and frustration; it was a never-ending cycle for Persephone when it came to Squall. Or _Mister Grump_, as she had taken to calling him in her head.

_He's trying to be nice, but he's doing it wrong!_ Persephone's inner mind screamed.

Zidane and Bartz made up for Squall, as per usual, by being their goofy, stoogey selves.

When lunch rolled around, Persephone was able to talk to some of the other students she hadn't had the chance to talk to yet, like Light and Cecil. Light was a bit too serious for her tastes, but Cecil was extra nice, but not in the way her table mates were. No, though they were basically the same age, Cecil acted like a bit like a big brother and was good enough to show her where the playground was, when she admitted she had no idea where it was from the cafeteria.

The two of them ended up parting ways when Cecil's older brother came to pay them a visit, although he should be studying back in the high school down the road. He promised to introduce them to each other one day and left the girl to her own devices.

_So far, so good_, Persephone thought. Although there had been some bumps along the road, her adventure at school thus far had not been a total disaster! She made friends, she liked her teachers and she even got to meet a prince! Well, not a prince, really, but Hayden might as well have been one. It was too bad he was in the middle school, so she wouldn't be able to see him all the time like she did with Zidane, Bartz and the others in her class.

_I wonder if he's around?_

Curious about if she could find Hayden and talk to him a bit more Persephone went back to the picnic area, hoping she could catch him there. Going over to the tables, she saw that they were full of students eating and talking, but no where in the crowd did she see a familiar head of golden hair and it disappointed her greatly. Persephone wilted a little bit, before berating herself. Why in the world would he want to talk to a little kid like her, anyways? Plus, he acted nice, but he might have just been hiding it. Cynical thoughts for a girl of six, but not everyone had a life like her's.

While Hayden was nowhere in sight, what the first grader did see was up there in the list of many firsts she had been subjected to this day.

Bullying. They could have been rough housing or playing, but Persephone was under the impression that the girl being surrounded by older boys did not want them near. She was crying loudly, asking them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't. The girl was older than Persephone, she noticed, but she was in trouble and her father's words echoed through her mind as one of the bullies pushed the girl onto the ground.

"Honour and pride…honour and pride…be brave," mumbled the girl as she approached the group everyone else was ignoring. In all honesty, Persephone was still unsure about the whole concept of school, but she was sure that someone picking on somebody else was wrong and somebody had to stand up to those meanies before it got out of hand. The girl had often seen her father reprimand Thirds for being mean to one of their comrades before and she was going to try and keep these guys from hurting that girl!

Of course, Persephone forgot that she was just one painfully tiny, little girl and these guys were two bigger, older kids.

But that wouldn't stop her, because she was an ally of justice!

"H-hey, you! Stop picking on her, you big meanies!" shouted Persephone, gaining the attention of the brutes trying to rough up a fourth grader for lunch money. The two of them were fifth graders who had been held back a year (or more) with more brawn than brains and they both scowled down at the interloping girl. Persephone just puffed herself up more. "Yeah, that's right. I'm talking to you. Don't you know that bullying's wrong? You know you're just going to get into trouble right?"

Bully Number One sneered. "Oh, yeah? How're you gonna do that, squirt? Gonna go cry to the teachers?" To prove his point, he stepped up and shoved Persephone to the ground. To her credit, after her ungainly fall and yelp of surprise, she stood right back up and glared for all she was worth at the bullies.

"If…if I have to! Bullying is wrong!" she repeated, as a crowd began gathering around the two girls and two boys. They continued having a stare off, when the same boy tried to shove her down again, but she dodged nimbly out of the way this time, expecting it. Push her once, shame on him. Push her twice – well, she wasn't going to have it! Feeling rather rowdy like she was back in her orphanage days, Persephone stomped on Bully Number One's foot as hard as she could, satisfied by the howl of pain he let out. Bully Number Two, wouldn't just let this go and tried to grab Persephone, but being so small, he missed her by a hair when she ducked.

She weaved around him and shoved Bully Number Two while he was still trying to figure out where Persephone had gotten to. As he was falling onto his fellow bully, Persephone grabbed the girl they had been picking and ran for it. The other girl was slow and was still crying and sounded so scared, but Persephone ignored it for the moment so she could get them both to safety. And there was only one place one could avoid stupid bullying boys. A place just for girls…the girl's bathroom! Thankfully Terra had shown here where it was, because Zidane and Bartz had overlooked that part of their school tour during the beginnings of morning recess, otherwise there was no way Persephone would have known where she was going.

Once ensconced in the safety of the bathroom, Persephone let go of the older girl's hand so she could lean against a wall. Panting and wheezing for breath, she knew that Doctor Hollander (and her dad) was going to be pretty upset with her for not taking it easy like they had asked. But at least she had been good! She saved someone back there and it was worth getting a little breathless. It wasn't as if she would get sick again like before, right? Doctor Hollander had said he had fixed her during her stay in the Shinra infirmary. It was going to be alright.

The girl Persephone saved sniffled loudly in the bathroom, tears rolling freely down her face. Somehow, the first grader felt a mite irritated at seeing them and suddenly understood why her uncle disliked seeing them so much. It was never a pretty sight and she felt pretty bad when she saw them. She endeavoured to cry less in front of Genesis from now on.

"Hey, you okay?" Persephone asked tentatively, crawling over to the girl sitting on the tiled floor by a window. "Did they hurt you?"

The girl shook her head, sniffling.

"What's your name?"

No answered and Persephone frowned, remembering a time when she had been like this, too. Good grief, she hoped she hadn't been this bad with Papa Angeal! If so, well, she was going to have to find a good way to apologize to him…Him _and_ Uncle Genesis.

"I'm Persephone, but everybody just calls me, Seffie. So what's your name?"

A sniffle. "…Shelke."

Persephone smiled. Progress! "Nice to meet you, Shelke. Do those big meanies always, um…be mean to you?" finished the six-year old, lamely.

Shelke nodded. "Y…yeah…and now they're going to pick on me more…"

Pick on her more? Persephone thought in alarm. "Why would they do that, Shelke?" Persephone wanted to know why. Shelke didn't seem like a bad person, if a little bit of a crybaby, thought the little girl. But then, she had an idea. An idea that would have made Zack absolutely proud of her!

"It's okay, Shelke, 'cause I'll protect you! That's what friends are for, right?"

"Huh?"

"Friends," repeated Persephone. "I'm new here and I wanted to make friends. 'Cause friends are the best thing ever! I have a friend who's like a big brother who says that friends always help each other and play together and lots of fun stuff. And I want to be your friend! If…um…that's okay…with you…"

During her little explanation, her eyes drifted to the floor in embarrassment, knowing she sounded like a little kid. She couldn't help it, though. She was just a little kid, but she really did want to make friends and Shelke looked so lonely by herself, facing those bullies and she really couldn't just leave her there…Well, even if she didn't want to be friends, Persephone silently promised she'd look out for her. Even if it should be the other way around. Shelke was older than her, after all.

"I…I'd like that," Shelke replied, at length. There was a shy smile on her lips that Persephone matched with a bright one.

She held out her pinky, Shelke tentatively wrapped her own around it.

"Friends," the two of them said.

The two of them spent the rest of lunch huddled together in the bathroom, sharing stories about their lives, their likes and dislikes and their families. The two had quite a bit in common, for they both lost parents and were now living with someone else. Shelke was lucky enough to have a big sister, who worked part time as a lab assistant in the Shinra Science Department. Persephone did not envy her though, because she had many people who cared about her, even if they weren't really related. A pretend family that was also real, she tried to explain. Shelke understood her meaning, smiling at how they had all come together in the end.

When the bell rang, they had to go their separate ways, but promised to keep in touch.

"See you tomorrow, Shelke."

"See you, Seffie."

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

Persephone stared at Squall.

Squall stared at her.

Squall blinked, then Persephone suddenly gave out a cheer.

"Ha! I win!" she declared, whooping in victory.

Squall rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever."

The two were the only ones stuck in afterschool daycare that day; Persephone because her father couldn't come in to pick her up and Squall for the fact that his father was the teacher in charge of the daycare that day, so he had to stay, too. Or at least until his sister finished school and picked him up.

The school was quiet without everyone in it and the girl had been sad to see her classmates go home. It was the promise of tomorrow that had her smiling as she waved good-bye to them all. But she was quite surprised to see that Mister Grump had stayed behind and was even more shocked to know that Laguna was his father; she didn't quite see the resemblance honestly.

The first time she had heard the taciturn boy talk to her was when he mentioned that people said he was a lot more like his mom. Although, not in so many words. He just grumbled, "Nothing like him." After that, it was mostly assumptions. If Squall was nothing like his father, he had to be like his mom, right?

At first, Persephone was apprehensive about being alone with Squall, because she didn't quite know how to act around him, especially in light of the fact that he had a nice side to him (even if that nice side liked to hurt her with his pinches, from time to time). But since she had done a lot of odd and strange and dangerous things all day, the girl figured, what was one more oddity to her day?

And so, she had placed herself in front of Squall and started swirling her finger in front of his face as she said in her most hypnotic voice, "You will like me…you will like me…you will like me…you will liiiike me…"

After a few moments of doing this, the girl tilted her head to the side and asked, "Did it work?"

It didn't, if the completely poleaxed expression on Squall's face was any indication.

Sighing, Persephone decided to just give up the ghost and go do something with her homework when he quietly spoke up, "…Already kinda like you…"

Somewhere in between the boy confessing that he kind of, sort of wanted to be her friend – very, very, very reluctantly, to boot – and Laguna getting another leg cramp as he looked over the next day's materials, the two of them had engaged in a staring contest wherein the first who blinked or laughed lost. They had at least five staring contests thus far and her tablemate was in the lead at three-two.

Laguna had been watching them a while and thought it cute (and a bit relieving on his part) that they were getting along, in their own _weird_ sort of way. He smiled to himself as they went for a rematch, because little Seffie was stubborn and Squall wasn't the kind of boy to lose, either. They had another set of four staring contests before Angeal arrived early to pick her up.

"Aaaaw, but Papa…can't I stay longer? Please, please, please, please?" the girl pleaded, making her best pair of puppy dog eyes, which he expertly ignored. Angeal had been around both of his surrogate children enough to become immune to puppy dog eyes, although Persephone had been able to crack him from time to time. On this matter he would not bend.

"You're coming home with me," he said firmly, but gently.

Wilting, Persephone heaved a great big sigh. A hand found itself on top of her head and said hand was connected to Squall, who was giving her a Look.

"You'll be here tomorrow?" he asked.

Persephone nodded.

"Then stop sulking and go home," he told her.

Bristling a bit, because even when he was talking to her, he still acted like a grump, Persephone stuck her tongue out at him. The action surprised her friend, who stared at her incredulously.

"Alright, I'll go. But I want a rematch tomorrow."

A snort came from the boy, but he did not say no, but neither did he say yes as he went to pick up his stuff. Persephone's own bag had been packed for a while now, so she and Angeal were ready to head on out. With a farewell and a promise of a return, the little girl went 'home' with her father. And thus ended her first day of school.

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

"…Hmm…sounds like you had a really busy day," said Genesis over the phone.

Giggling, Persephone agreed. "I can't wait to go back tomorrow."

The Red Commander chuckled himself, happy that his girl was happy and that the day had not ended in some kind of awful disaster. "Well, that's good. Now…about Hayden…"

"Wh…what about Hayden?"

"Does your father know that you met a prince at school? Not to mention those other boys…"

Though she didn't quite understand what her uncle was talking about, somehow, Persephone knew she was in the right when she answered him indignantly. "U-uncle Genesis!"

"Well, _someone_ has to tell him I was right."

"Right about what?"

"I'll tell you when you're older, little goddess. I'll tell you when you're older…"

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

**Author's Note:** Yes, I used characters from the other Final Fantasies to fill up the class room. XD Sort of like a really twisted version of the whole Dissidia school concept. Except it's elementary school and not high school. Certain characters are not here because they're in other grades, due to their actual ages in comparison to others. An example would be Onion Knight still being in daycare or Kindergarten. And, obviously, Persephone replaces Cloud, because he already exists in this world as a teenager in high school.

Also, Shelke is not a BAMF or emotionless here, because, as she said herself, she used to cry a lot as a child. I assumed she had to force herself to be strong in some manner or die or go crazy or both. Hence, crying, defenceless Shelke!

And, in a fit of boredom, I came up with a concept for Persephone if she appeared in Dissidia, however, it turns out there were two possible ways I could go with Persephone. I could go with the girl from this happy AU, or the Persephone from the 89 Letters special that grows up to become a warrior who has to let go of the past. I decided to go with 'Original Crisis' Persephone, instead of 'Alternate Crisis' Persephone who would, quite frankly, suck as a playable character in Dissidia.

So, here we have something I cooked up for Chaos side Persephone.

That's right. Persephone's fighting on Chaos' side. Why and for what reason…well…you'll just have to wait for the Dissidia special, won't you?

By the way, Dissidia/Older/Original Crisis Persephone is such a Mary-Sue BAMF with references to like…_everything_. See if you can spot them all. XD

**Persephone**** (Chaos Side)**

A soldier in the W.R.O., Persephone attained the rank of commander at a young age. She wields three unique swords, all of them holding a memory of a lost loved one.

While she may appear heartless and cold to the point of being robotic, it is because she hides her heart and true intentions deeply within herself from allies and enemies alike. Only certain triggers may force her true feelings to the surface and she may know more about what's going on than most may realize. The only ones who can even think to get a reaction out of her are either dead, or a young soldier named Denzel, of whom she considers as a little brother.

Her manikin is called _Imaginary Goddess_.

**How To Unlock**

Sephiroth and Cloud must be at Level 100 and Destiny Odyssey VII has to be completed seven times. Her character will be available for 3000 PP in the PP Catalogue.

**Appearance**

Persephone wears a modified version of the W.R.O. uniform, which is all white with red and gold accents, instead of beige. She sports a long coat with crossed belts on her waist and wears her hair long and unhindered. She wears thigh high white boots reminiscent of Sephiroth's and a pair of black leather gloves. She appears as a woman in her mid twenties, though it appears that she still might be the youngest fighting on Chaos' side.

**Alternate Appearance**

_SOLDIER's Pride_ – This outfit is a more stylize, feminine version of the SOLDIER First class uniform with short shorts and a turtleneck that partially shows off Persephone's midriff. Unlike the original uniform, she only has one shoulder pauldron.

_Gift of the Goddess_ – Similar to Persephone's SOLDIER'S Pride outfit, the only difference is that she now has a red long coat on as well. The shorts are also swapped out for a mini-skirt.

_One-Winged Angel_ – Based off of Sephiroth's outfit during Advent Children, Persephone now wears a form fitting female version of the general's clothes with his leather pants swapped out for a scandalous miniskirt. Her hair is now coloured silver and her eyes are changed from blue to green.

**Abilities**

Persephone's style is known as **Triple Blade**, due to the fact that she owns three swords. This style allows Persephone access to different a wide variety of attacks, giving a player a lot of options to work with, depending on which sword she is using. During battle a play may press L+R to switch her swords; they are: Silent Sacrifice, Heartless Angel and Lost Pride (all three of which share the same names as her Exclusive Weapons).

Each sword sports a different style of fighting with Silent Sacrifice centering on using magic, Heartless Angel focusing on devastating, lightning fast combos and Lost Pride on heavier, slower attacks. Silent Sacrifice is the most balanced of all three swords and is Persephone's default style. It has an equal balance of HP and Brave Attacks, with moderate damage, while using magic such as Firaga, Blizzaga and Thundaga. Silent Sacrifice has the best range out of all three, allowing her to have space is need be. Her best attack is Apocalypse, in which a wide area around her opponent goes up in flames, doing the most damage.

Heartless Angel has the fastest move sets out of all three and a great deal of Brave Attacks, though severely lacks in HP Attacks. The attacks of Heartless Angel can be easily chained and not easily broken, though the downside is that she needs to be in close combat with her opponent, otherwise most of her attacks won't connect. A highly spammable move of Heartless Angel is Octaslash, which unleashes a flurry of slashes faster than the eye can see.

Finally, we have Lost Pride, which deals _only_ in HP Attacks, though they deal out everything in triplicate, making Persephone a heavy hitter depending on her own Brave count. The attacks are often slow to charge or are slow moving, though this can be changed with the right accessory. Cross Slash is one of the various attacks utilized by the Lost Pride.

**Equipment**

Persephone can wield Katanas and Swords and for protection, she can wear Clothes, Light Armour, Bangles, Hairpins and Ribbons.

**Exclusive Weapons**

Silent Sacrifice – Usable at Level 52 – Sword

Lost Pride – Usable at Level 80 – Sword

Heartless Angel – Usable at Level 100 – Katana

**Ex-Mode**

**Wing Blade **– Persephone's swords become ten energy blades that take in the shape of wings behind her back.

**Ex-Burst**

**Salvation **– Rapidly tap the **O** Button to fill the Limit Gauge and perform a full Limit Break. After charging up her power, Persephone throws up her energy blades high into the hair, and then stabs them into the ground in an altar-like formation around the opponent. The blades explode with bright light and Holy, consuming the opponent entirely for heavy damage, while also healing Persephone.

Failure to fill the gauge will result in Persephone simply grabbing one of her Wing Blades and slashing her opponent away.

**Ex-Bonus**

**Regen** – HP slowly regenerates over time.

**Glide** – Hold the **X** **Button** while airborne to glide.

**Haste** – Tap the **X Button** twice while on the ground to reappear behind an opponent.

**Dis Pear** – As a sort of 'joke that kills' move, pressing **R + Square** will result in Persephone throwing a pear at her opponent's face and causing instant Brave Break. When confronted with any of the characters from FFVII, she will also say, "Shall I give you dis pear?" with a straight face.

**Quotes**

**Encounters Against Cosmos:**

Warrior of Light: Your light offends me.

Firion: Flowers can grow in darkness, too.

Onion Knight: You don't belong on the battlefield…

Cecil: Are you sure you're up for battle?

Bartz: There comes a wind of ruin.

Terra: The strength you seek is within reach.

Cloud: Are you afraid of your own shadow?

Angeal: I won't be left behind.

Denzel: Denzel…

Squall: That's quite a sword you have there…

Zidane: Hmph. Just like a puppy…

Tidus: Overcompensating much?

Shantotto: And what in Minerva's name are you?

**Encounters Against Chaos:**

Garland: Not interested.

The Emperor: Your overconfidence is your weakness.

Cloud of Darkness: That's…an interesting outfit.

Golbez: We share the same fate, don't we?

Exdeath: Let me fill your void.

Kefka: No one's laughing.

Sephiroth: You're just a memory.

Ultimecia: I'll turn time upside down!

Kuja: Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess…

Jecht: I find your lack of skills disturbing. (referring to Jecht's parenting skills)

Gabranth: I could fall for a man like you.


	19. Sixth Sense

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K

**Prompt: **Sixth Sense

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** And so we fall into another story arc. This chapter and the next chapter will be linked together as an origins story, with the chapter after that as a small side story that goes as a companion to this chapter and the next. And whose origins? Persephone's origins. You guys might kill me for it later, but I had fun writing this, despite all the drama that comes with it. In the end, I promise some good fluff to balance things out. Then again, you guys can be pretty astute, so I wouldn't be surprised if some of you have already come to this conclusion based on a few facts spread out through all the chapters thus far.

Also, small explanation. When I talk about '**Original Crisis**' in Three SOLDIERs and a Lady, I mean all the stuff that happened in Crisis Core, FFVII, Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, happened to Persephone, as written in the '89 Messages' special I posted a small while back. Nibelheim happened. Zack's death happened. Aerith's death happened. METEOR happened, etc, etc…Nothing changed, but Persephone still contains the memories of those who had fallen and all the life lessons they had presented to her when she grew-up and became a part of the WRO.

'**Alternate Crisis**' is the Persephone of the actual storyline of Three SOLDIERs and a Lady. The cute, happy, tiny girl you've come to know thus far whose presence actually makes a difference in the lives of Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth. And what I also mean by 'Alternate Crisis' is the fact that since Genesis isn't going to defect, Angeal's not going to turn into a 'monster' and Sephiroth isn't going to become some insane mama's boy, well…I'm going to be in need of different antagonists, aren't I? Mwa ha ha ha…

**015. Sixth Sense**

"_A characteristic of the normal child is they don't act that way very often."_

Perhaps, deep down, he had always known that there was something very special about Persephone. Or, maybe, the right word he wanted to use was odd, because it was a rather strange trait for a girl to have. Or maybe she was just very, very, very good at Hide-and-Seek and Sephiroth truly was just plain terrible at the children's game. However, the girl's oddity went far beyond an ordinary children's game.

And yet, it was how it all started.

It was after a day at school that Persephone, for once, wanted to play a game. Normally, the child was content to just quietly sit in her own little corner of Sephiroth's or Angeal's office reading or doing her homework. However, that one day her school friends had taught her a new game that she very much wanted to play, which was typical behaviour for a child. Children were always in need of attention and showing off something new they'd learned, or rather share what they had just learned. In this, Persephone was no exception and Angeal would never, ever wish for her to lose that sense of wonder every time she went to school and came home with something new to share.

In a perfect world, that was how school should be, shouldn't it? Fun, exciting and a new adventure every day. Angeal wanted his daughter to enjoy this endless curiosity and boundless potential while she was still young and guileless with nothing to complicate her life. Not that it wasn't _already _complicated.

The rest of the documents, paperwork and personal affects of the Redfield family had finally arrived that day in his office and the man had been reluctant to go through them. These were the personal belongings of Persephone's real parents, of whom she had lost not so long ago. It was amazing how she had managed to move on and the SOLDIER suspected that she would be hit by the reality of it again sooner or later. He remembered the tears she had shed in the past, back in the orphanage, the cries and sobs that racked her small frame over and over. She had no friends and did not interact well with the other orphans. None of them wanted to be near her and the ones who did, ended up getting hurt.

His girl was strong, in her own way. She wanted to preserve the memory of her loved ones; she never wanted to forget. She didn't want them to be just a distant memory she couldn't recall in the future. Persephone wanted to keep her true parents close to her heart. Sometimes, Angeal felt selfish, for wanting her all to himself when she had been someone else's daughter, first. Did all fathers feel this way? Perhaps, perhaps not. He was learning as he went.

At the time Persephone had gone to her uncle's office to engage him in a rousing round of Hide-and-Seek (a game that, Angeal found out later, that the general had never played in his own childhood), Angeal was finally going through the boxes upon boxes of items that had been shipped over from Wutai, courtesy of Genesis of all people. Then again, it shouldn't be surprising. The man had been the one to unfortunately discover Persephone's peanut allergy on his own; the last thing any of them wanted was to be continuously blind to any other serious facts about the girl in their care, so he probably made sure to have the belongings of the Redfields sent immediately once they were in his possession.

There had been a note tacked onto one of the boxes from Genesis, one filled with books. It read: _Don't read the journal until you're good and ready._

_What does he mean by that?_ Wondered Angeal as he pulled off the packing tape, seeing a book with slightly faded golden letters. JOURNAL. Did he mean this book? Picking up the tome, he inspected it curiously. It seemed an ordinary book, perhaps thick, but these were scientists, Persephone's mother and father. Was this a science journal? Thinking about it, Angeal never did figure out which department the Redfields worked in. Was it biochemistry? Geology? Or did each of them specialize in something different?

_Did Genesis already read this, then?_ Probably. If that was the case, his curiosity was piqued. Exactly what was inside the journal? Looking on the back cover, the name 'Naomi Redfield' was written neatly in black ink. This was his daughter's mother's journal.

_What did he read…?_

Just as curiosity was driving the man to open the book, despite the warning given to him by his lifelong friend, the general took this exact moment to come speeding into the room like Bahamut was on his tail – and was _obviously_ catching up.

"Hide me," came the surprisingly gruff command. Startled by the out of place order, Angeal was a little slack-jawed as to why his commanding officer looked so dishevelled and ready to level the entire building. He wouldn't lie; he could practically feel the adrenaline pumping through Sephiroth. Fight or flight instincts on high, one had to wonder what it was that could make _the_ General Sephiroth choose _flight_, over _fight_.

"Sephiroth, what –"

"Angeal, hide me now, before –"

Belatedly, Angeal realized that his esteemed colleague seemed to be shirtless. Or, rather, _coatless_.

"Why do you need to hide?" Angeal asked, regardless of the caged look Sephiroth had on his face.

"Explaining would take more time than I have, Angeal. It is imperative that I hide my presence and for you not to question it," came the quick reply as he stalked about, looking more cornered than before. The dark-haired SOLDIER made a quick assessment of his friend, glad to see that Masamune wasn't around. Sephiroth was a bit sword-happy when he was edgy like this. That nagging feeling persisted more than before and he meant to question the silver-haired man once more when the other man's eyes widened. And then they narrowed.

"Too late."

"Found you!"

Both men turned their gazes towards the entrance of the office; Sephiroth's was carefully blank, whereas Angeal's was simply stunned.

It wasn't as if he weren't used to the sight of his little girl all bundled up in the world's most dangerous swordsman's coat. In fact, ever since Sephiroth had come onto the habit of covering the small child up with the signature trench coat, Angeal had come to find the gesture very – and secretly – adorable. It was a sign that uncle and niece were on good terms since the Incident. Seeing her all sleepy and wrapped up, curled on Sephiroth's couch had become something he looked forward to seeing. It was cute and sweet; a sight for sore eyes. Minerva knew he was all too used to seeing gore-filled battlefields. Give him some sweet innocence now and again.

But this…this just took the cake. Angeal wished he had a camera on him to capture the moment, because – for the umpteenth time – his daughter just looked so _cute_.

Hands on her hips, face screwed into an expression of great determination and a coat ten-times-too-big dramatically draping her shoulders like a long black cape, Persephone appeared triumphantly before them.

Sephiroth sighed deeply next to Angeal, the sound both weary and resigned.

"So you have, Persephone," the general said, with a rueful shake of his head.

"That's seventeen times, Uncle Sephiroth!" chirped the girl, scampering over to the two adults, the coat trailing behind her. Angeal would have asked her to at least pick up the ends of the coat, but he knew for a fact that the leather garment had seen far worse in the past. Persephone couldn't wear it out, even if she tried.

A dark brow was raised at the general. "Seventeen times?" A pause, then a light lit up. "You lost seventeen times at _Hide-and-Seek_?" inquired Angeal, only now realizing what the earlier strange behaviour had meant. 'Hide me'. He was trying to hide from Persephone and was desperate to do so. Surely the man couldn't be that awful at such a simple game? Especially since it was Sephiroth who was the one coming up with all kinds of intricate strategies during the war effort with a good quarter of them being surprise attacks. Pre-emptive strikes, hidden from sight. The man had hid his presence well against enemy factions filled with trained ninja and he couldn't evade a six year old?

Silently, he asked the man if he had been serious the last sixteen times he played with the girl and the look he had returned show that he did. It was a rather mortifying fact for Sephiroth at the time and though he might have taken it easy on the girl at first, due to his own tentative feelings towards the game. However, after the fifth loss, he could not take it. Sephiroth, despite his good demeanour and general good intentions, could not stand the thought of losing. Worse yet, he lost to a grade-schooler.

"Uh-huh! I found him every time!" stated Persephone who went to take a seat on a chair in front of her father's desk. She slipped the leather coat off and folded it to the best of her ability. Being so long, the coat was bunched up in some places, but at least it was off the floor. She placed it on the corner of Angeal's desk. "Uncle Sephiroth hid in some really weird places, too."

_I can probably guess that he did_. "How did you know how to find him, Seffie? Did anyone tell you where he went?"

Persephone shook her head. "Uh-uh. I found him all by myself."

"Did no one really stop to help you?" Sephiroth asked, going to put on his coat. One buckle at a time. "It must have been somewhat difficult for you to find me on your own."

Once again, she shook her head in reply. "Uh-uh. It's funny. I just knew where you were, Uncle Sephiroth."

"You knew where to _look_," Angeal corrected, eyes falling towards the old journal. An absurd idea had fallen into his head then. It was ludicrous to even think of it. _Don't read the journal until you're good and ready._ "You meant to say, look, I think."

Receiving a pout, the girl shook her head vigorously. "Uh-uh! I knew where he was. It was like a feeling, you know?"

"I don't think you can argue with her on that point," said Sephiroth, diplomatically ending his sentence there. In reality, he actually wanted to say, '_she inherited your stubbornness, Angeal, so you have to reap what you sow_'. It was almost heartening to see one of his commanders drop down a peg, from time to time. Normally, Sephiroth was not at all petty, but that evening's situation was far from normal.

Finding truth in his friend's words, he agreed with a sigh. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was well passed seven in the evening. His daughter was sure to be starved and he had yet to finish his own work. Sephiroth never engaged Persephone in anything if either or the girl had not finished their own work, so it went without saying that they had completed their own tasks. And so they had taken up Hide-and-Seek, a game that Bartz or Zidane must have taught her, the mischievous rascals. Nice as they were, they were a bad influence on Persephone at times. He hoped her excitable behaviour as of late would only be temporary. He didn't need two puppies in his life. He was perfectly happy with one scatterbrained pup and a lady-like kitten, thank you very much.

_Note to self: Find more female friends for Persephone. Being surrounded by guys all the time has got to be warping her._ Genesis had a habit of being a tad feminine at times (Minerva only knew how many times the redhead had dragged him into a shopping spree in the past for Persephone's wardrobe, that did not need any expansion at all in his opinion), but despite that he was still very masculine and certainly not helping with his daughter's manners. He almost missed the reticent, shy, mature girl she used to be.

Then again, she was just being a child, Angeal reason, because she _is_ one.

_She won't always be little. And she won't always be mine._

Angeal's heart clenched at the memory of a nightmare he'd rather not recall as well as what he felt during his daughter's first day of school.

_Don't read the journal until you're good and ready._

"Hey, it's seven. Why don't you two get something to eat?" Angeal suggested, smiling at uncle and niece. As Persephone's tummy rumbled at the mention of food, Sephiroth glanced over at the dark-haired man inquisitively. A brow was raised and Angeal's hand waved in response for them to go together. "I still got some work here and I had a late lunch, so I'm not hungry yet. I'll join you later."

"But papa…" It was Persephone's turn to be concerned and the sad expression she bore was enough to make Angeal's heart clench. Smiling reassuringly, he reached across the desk and patted her head, noting that her hair had gotten long. It was to her shoulders now and her bangs got into her pretty little blue eyes. He'd have to remember to take her for a hair cut. He smoothed her hair, parting it right in the middle.

"Go on. I'll be right behind you," he assured.

Picked up by her uncle with the utmost care, Persephone was carried out as Angeal murmured a gentle 'I love you', which she somehow picked up on.

Though her voice was small and far, he could hear her saying, 'I love you, too'.

It was soothing and gut-wrenching at the same time.

The automatic door of his office slid closed and he stared at the pile of boxes that his two visitors had ignored, looking intently on the journal that sat innocently on top of everything. Gingerly, he picked it up, its weight oddly tangible.

_Don't read the journal until you're good and ready._

"Good and ready for what?" Angeal asked aloud. Though the mind was confused and curious, the heart already understood this cryptic message. There was a deep, hidden truth behind his adopted daughter, whose entire past was cloaked in secrecy and mystery. Perhaps Naomi Redfield would be kind enough to shed a light on the child she had brought into this world.

Opening up on a random page of Persephone's mother's journal, Angeal began to read.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

**Today I found out the reason why my husband and I have not been able to conceive for the past three years of our marriage: Simply, my beloved husband, William, is incapable of fathering children.**


	20. Special: Mother's Day

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K

**Prompt: **Mother's Day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** I finally got one on time. :3 Happy Mother's Day.

**Special: Mother's Day**

"_I love you, mom."_

Persephone stared at the paper sitting on her desk, completely untouched. Everyone around her was in a flurry of activity, including Squall who normally opted to wait until everyone else was done with their work before starting his own. The boy was a late starter, but always one to finish what he began even if he ended up doing things all alone while everyone else got to goof off. Squall's explanation was that Zidane and Bartz tended to be too loud while working and because of that he couldn't concentrate.

Today was a special day at school. It was the Friday before Mother's Day weekend, which Persephone had been dreading since the beginning of May. The reason why was because she had no mother to speak of, or, at least, a living mother. It has almost been a year since the young girl had lost her parents in the Wutai War, which was still on-going, and the wounds left from that time still stung. She adored Angeal, she really did and he really had become a second father to her, however, the void left in her heart by her mother's missing presence was not something easily filled. Even if she became more and more absent round the end of her life...

To sum things up, the whole day would be dedicated to making gifts and cards and whatever you wanted in honour of Mother's day and everyone else in Persephone's class seemed very into their own personal projects.

Laguna had gone out of his way that day to fill the whole classroom with all kinds of activities for Mother's Day in between breaks or working on their projects. It sort of depressed her a little hearing stories about mothers from Laguna and his many books or one of her classmates doing a show-and-tell about their mothers and what they often do together and how they loved them so much. Must be nice, she thought, to have sweet memories of them.

Persephone could barely remember her mother, a thought that almost brought the girl to tears - until a pinch on her arm had her squealing so loud, Mister Palazzo from the kindergarten class below the could hear her and gave Laguna grief for it after school. He absolutely hate, hate, hate, hate, _hated_ children screaming. Almost as much as he disliked children; he and Genesis would get along, mused Persephone.

The girl tossed a glare at Squall who pretended not to see it. The big meanie!

"That was mean," whispered the girl to her neighbour, who kept up his writing on a medium-sized heart with flowers carefully glued onto it. Luckily for them, Laguna had been out of the class with yet another embarrassing leg cramp episode.

"What's mean?" Zidane asked, looking up from his mess of glitter and stick-on rhinestones to look at his table mate. Glitter clung to his blond locks and to his cheeks. It was quite the sight.

"Seffie's moping," replied Mister Grump, making Zidane and Bartz gasp comically at him.

"Wow. If Squall says it, that must mean you're _really _mopey, huh?" Bartz mused, brushing glitter off of himself. He and Zidane had gotten into a glitter fight at some point during the day and the two were still trying to clean themselves up. The short blond boy ended up getting the worst of it, though; Squall and Persephone had been witness to said fight and had not come out unscathed either. Squall somehow got some in his pants. A small handful had landed on the Wutai girl's head, but the boys (they being Zidane and Bartz) refused to let her clean it off. They agreed that her hair sparkled like a starry night sky. It was going to be hard to explain to her father about the mess later on, though...

A pout entered the girl's features. "I'm not mopey," she insisted.

"'I'm not mopey'," imitated Bartz, doing both her voice and expression to a T. "Sure you're not. Come on, Seffie, we're your friends, aren't we? Something th'matter?"

"Um...Seffie is something wrong?" came a timid voice. Terra had heard the commotion from the 'Seven Ate Nine with Five' table and had come over to check up on things, a worried look on her face.

"Oh, hey, Terra," greeted Zidane with a cheeky grin. "Seffie is being _mopey_ and she won't say why."

"Not mopey!" Persephone almost shouted. Her voice reaching almost hysterical levels caused Terra to back up a bit in surprise, though this allowed her a good view of the table.

"Oh, Seffie...you didn't start anything for your mom," noted the girl. All eyes, which had been previously fixated on Persephone's rapidly reddening face, now looked downwards to confirm Terra's words. Zidane and Bartz were surprised to see that she was right. Persephone crossed her arms and looked elsewhere. "Don't you know what to make?"

"There's no point, Terra," replied the dark-haired girl, sounding just a bit sourly. "I won't be able to give my present to anyone...I don't have a mama anymore."

Everyone present at the table was silent as they took in Persephone's confession. The subject of their parents never really came up between the small group of friends. Persephone and some of the kids had developed into their own little group, separate from the others, although the reasons why were hazy. They were all so different that it was any wonder they could stand each other. She did like Bartz and Zidane, because they were nice and pretty funny, but what was _Squall's_ reason for hanging out with them during recess and lunch? He pretty much told her they annoyed him all the time.

"Well, welcome to the No Moms Club," the self-same brunet deadpanned, staring at the girl next to him intently.

Confusion coloured the half-Wutai girl's face. "Huh?"

"The No Moms Club," Zidane repeated. "It's not a _real_ club, but it's something Bartz came up with when he asked around about our dads one time. A lot of us here don't have moms either, but we don't let it get us down. Gosh, most of us never got to even meet our-_ow_! Squall! That hurts!"

Ignoring Zidane who whined about being pinched by big nasty bullies, Squall took over the conversation with the incredulous looking Persephone. "Anyways, Seffie. Just 'cause you don't have a mom, doesn't mean there aren't other special people in your life who are like a mom. I got my big sister, Elle. I'm making this card for her, because she's always there for me." He picked up his flowery heart and showed his friend, who frowned a bit.

"I…don't have a sister, though…" It was true, Persephone was without siblings to speak of, especially female ones. She doubted Angeal would be up for adopting another girl just because she asked. Would be nice to have a big sister, though…

Terra piped up, wanting to add in her two cents as well as help out a friend. "Well, how about an aunt? Or a cousin? Or maybe an older friend, huh?"

Persephone shook her head. "I…don't have anyone like that…" The more her friends tried to help, the more depressed she felt. Obviously everyone had someone here they could celebrate Mother's Day with, whether it was an older sibling, a cousin, aunt, or just someone older that they appreciated. And since Laguna was a guy, she couldn't just make something for him, either. She could do something for Shelke, but Persephone protected the older girl more often than not. So that idea was out.

They had quite a problem on their hands, so Bartz thought it a good idea to call in for some back-up on the matter.

And so went a small discussion on who Persephone could give a gift to on Mother's Day. Couldn't be anyone, of course, it had to be the right person. However, everyone had a differing opinion on what a mother should be like, if at all.

Light was of no help, because he had both of his parents, even if they were divorced. At the moment he was living with his mother, as per arrangements, though he did get to see his father from time to time. He thought celebrating Mother's Day without a mother was odd and stayed out of the way, while everyone else came up with something, since he couldn't quite think outside the box.

"It's okay, Light. You don't have to say anything."

Firion, much like Persephone, was adopted. However, since he had two parents (and a brother and sister, to boot) he was pretty much in the same boat as Light, although was a lot more tactful when expressing the fact that he had a mother, still. He did suggest making paper flowers like he had done, giving one of his prettiest folded roses to Persephone as an example. The girl thanked him for trying.

"This rose is really pretty, Firion!"

"I'm hoping to make enough to fill the whole world with 'em. Just for my mom."

Cecil lived with his brother and their legal guardian, so he understood what it meant not having a mother during this time of year. But since he never got to even talk to her once, he didn't really know what he had missed, in the end. However, sometimes Golbez would talk about her, saying that Cecil was a lot like her. A mother is gentle, Cecil said to Persephone.

"Gentle, huh? My uncle Sephiroth is really nice to me. He lets me use his coat when I get cold and he plays with me, too."

Bartz, having grown up with his father, didn't know much about mothers. His own mother died of cardiac arrest when he was still little, but his old man also told him a lot about his mother, Stella. Because of who his dad was – a soldier in the regulation army – his mom had to put up with a lot, so she had to be pretty patient. Especially with him, because Bartz had a tendency of wandering around when he was smaller. So, according to him, a mother should be patient.

"Must be hard. Uncle Sephiroth is in charge of SOLDIER with Mister Lazard. People make mistakes, so he has to make sure they don't by watching them..."

Terra was of a mixed heritage, much like Persephone, though it was never apparent. Her father from the Northern Continent, while her mother was a Southern woman all the way from Mideel. She was a very protective woman and always worried that her daughter wouldn't be able to fit in, in Midgar. For her a mother was protective and accepting no matter what. Somehow, Persephone couldn't find it in herself to tell the other girl that this could be a bad thing, because her own mother had died protecting her with her own life…

"Thanks a lot Terra. You're a good friend."

Squall did not say much. All he really did was pinch his friend whenever she got too close to crying or started looking all gloomy again. Unlike the others who stood around the table, he stayed seated next to her as a constant companion of sorts.

"Squall, you're mean. Stop pinching me!"

Zidane came from an extremely complicated home life, of which had no mother in sight. It did leave him with an extremely naggy sister and an irritating older brother who often got the best of him, along with an absent father. However, if he ever did have a mother, he bet his favourite stuffie that she was _really_ pretty. Maybe a bit naggy, because his sister must have gotten it from somewhere, but definitely pretty as a peach.

"With you throwing glitter everywhere, your mom would nag you all the time. To clean up! Tee-hee! If my Uncle Genesis had been here, he would have yelled at you for getting glitter all over the place!"

"But she'd be pretty, so it'd be worth it!"

"Silly, prettiness isn't everything. Although, Uncle Sephiroth is…pretty…"

Tidus lived with his father, although there were plenty of women in his life that he looked up to (and often ran to) when his father wasn't about or _because_ his old man was around. He figured that any woman who could stand to be with Jecht had to be some kind of saint or just had the ability to keep a handle on things no matter what. Overall, in his opinion, a mother was an angel in disguise. She'd spoil you and love you and play with you.

"Uncle Genesis is like that, sometimes, even if he acts like a big meanie most of the time. Papa says 'no', but Uncle Genesis says 'yes'."

All of her friends gave her good insight on what kind of person a mother should be, but she still wasn't sure. It was hard for her to think of anyone in particular, since she did not know many people and not many people knew her. However, inspiration struck and she wholeheartedly thanked her friends for their help.

"Thanks everyone. I know what I have to do."

x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x

Sunday was a day of relaxation and quiet for those who worked for Shinra. Everyone, even the men in the military, was off. It was the last day before they had to go back to work on Monday and everyone took advantage of this day to enjoy some peace and quiet. Of course, on this Sunday in particular, things were anything, but quiet in Midgar.

Many people were eating out, spending the day outside or inside with a special loved one. Phones were ringing off their hooks as hundreds called home, just to hear that voice once more and to give someone well wishes and their love. It was Mother's Day, a day that was perhaps one part incomprehensible and one part stab in the chest. Sephiroth never understood all of these holidays littering the calendar, but something that stuck out the most to him was Mother's Day, which had moved up along his list of despised holidays. Valentine's had lost its number one spot and had been moved down straight to the bottom, thanks to the timely intervention of one lone girl who might be sharing the same kind of despair he was.

Motherless on mother's day.

But then he smiled, no not quite motherless. Angeal had told him the story of how Sephiroth had come to having a birthday and the logic behind it all. His little niece had been very insistent on him having a birth date after finding out he did not care much for his real one. Stubborn as she was, she and Genesis came up with a solution that didn't involve her formally adopting him somehow, though Sephiroth had been 'hers' for a while now.

He couldn't believe that it was almost a year since she fell into their lives.

The silver-haired man had no recollections of his mother, nor any stories of her told to him about her. All he had was a name and that was 'Jenova'. He did not know if she had been kind or gentle, a saintly woman or someone who could talk your ear right off if you let her. He didn't know if he looked like her or she him and he would never know. But he had to wonder which was worse: to know a mother for only a few years and miss her presence when she's gone, or to never know a mother at all and never realize once just what you were missing out on?

Sephiroth would have given anything to know his mother's embrace. It was a deeply buried wish of his and one he would never bring to light.

He wondered how his niece was coping with everything. He had learned to live without, but what about Persephone? Surely a child like her needed a mother's guiding hand; the man was no expert with children, but even he could see that being around only men would affect her somehow, psychologically.

_Angeal's most likely going to bring her to visit her mother's grave, if anything today. And Genesis has gone back to Wutai…_

Perking up all of a sudden, Sephiroth felt that there was someone at his door, before the knock even came. He was in his apartment in the living complex run by Shinra, taking the day off like so many this Sunday. He could only guess a handful of names that would come knocking to his door and he was pretty sure that the pitter-patter of small feet outside belonged to only one person. Going to see who it was, the general was unsurprised to see no one there, but the giggle that floated down the hallway gave away who had just left him a surprise gift on his doorstep.

_Another gift and run_, mused the man. This was quickly becoming a habit of Persephone's.

Down on the ground was a bouquet of what seemed to be white paper flowers set atop a handmade card that had probably seen better days before the glitter had exploded all over it. He brought the 'flowers' and card into his apartment, opening up the card to see what his little niece was up to.

Expecting a sort of consolation of some kind or talk of camaraderie in this most depressing of holidays, his niece threw him for a loop and then some with her little message.

_Thank you for always looking after me like a mama does. By always being pasient and nice and kind._

_Love Seffie_

Sephiroth shook his head, smiling all the while. Honest and sweet that girl. She needed work with pronuncing words and spelling, but honest and sweet and good, nonetheless. Placing the card and 'flowers' on a table, he left his apartment to find his niece, who was probably still giddy over the gift she had left in the comfort of her own home down the hall.

Perhaps he would need to re-prioritize his list of despised holidays.

Meanwhile, on the shores of Wutai, Genesis received a mail on his phone. He stared incredulously at the message, wondering if Angeal's puppy was prank-texting him, because there was no other explanation for the three words on his screen.

**Happy Mother's Day.**


	21. Birth

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** T

**Prompt: **Birth

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**016. Birth**

_"Where there is great love, there are always miracles."_

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

My name is Naomi Mitsurugi-Redfield, wife to William I. Redfield. We have been married for a year now and have been contemplating having our first child. I worry for the welfare of our child, because the war against my homeland has begun in earnest. What kind of world would our child be raised in when they arrived? I honestly do not know. William assures me that everything will be all right and I cannot help, but to believe in him. I hope for the sake our child's future that the war would end soon.

Still, I shall keep this journal in the hopes of keeping track of the pregnancy as it eventually comes.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

It has been a year since the beginning of our trials, for that was what conception means to us at this point. Forever, our resolve never faltered and William often says that making the baby is the most fun part. I do not understand where his confidence comes from, but I believe we can do it. And William really seems to want a child with me. Most of all, he wishes for a little girl to spoil and raise. I can imagine that our little girl would never want for anything, if William had any say in things.

We shall continue to try. I will keep trying, if only for William's sake.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

No signs of pregnancy yet, however, we did have a few close calls before when I missed my period once or twice. Unfortunately, with all the stress of the war my body has not been particularly receptive. Professsor Hojo, of whom I work under, says I should take a vacation before I become completely useless to him. I have been mapping the genetic material of the SOLDIERs in the SOLDIER program this last year, a job that the good doctor should have taken up on himself, had he not delegated the work to myself. It is interesting work, but a misuse of my abilities and knowledge. To what ends does he need these samples mapped, I cannot say, but I map them and label them accordingly and then place then in our cryogenic stasis containment units.

However, this has given me an idea. What I have in mind would require some finesse, but I am sure that my plan will be successful with as little emotional damage as possible. Acquiring the necessary samples I need would be simple enough.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

Today I found out the reason why my husband and I have not been able to conceive for the past three years of our marriage: Simply, my beloved husband, William, is incapable of fathering children.

I took a sample of his sperm for testing in my own lab and after extensive examination and re-examination, I came to the desolate conclusion that my dearest husband was sterile. The thought never occurred to either of us that this was the problem, for infertility is a common problem in my own family. The very idea that William couldn't father children had never even come up!

But what to do? William and I really want children of our own. This is a great dilemma and one I must resolve.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

After much contemplation, I decided to artificially inseminate myself. While the idea of adoption is viable, the wistful, dreamy look on William's face speaks volumes of his wishes for the future. As is, I cannot give him his own child, but at least I could give him the illusion of that happiness he so desperately wants. Of course, my sources are few and far in between. And going to clinics left a paper trail that, after some time, could easily be accidentally stumbled upon by my husband. He lost his parents recently to pneumonia in Modeoheim recently. I cannot reveal to him the truth of his impotence. It would break him in a way he could not possibly recover.

Once again, I am left to planning on my own, but for my husband's happiness I would walk into the lion's den alone.

Perhaps there would be a way to settle things neatly and with little repercussion.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

Thanks to my work mapping out the genomes within each and every SOLDIER under Shinra's payroll, I was able to come up with a plan of action. By taking one of their genetic samples I would be able to conceive a healthy child. Considering I know each ends of the proverbial gene pool, selecting the appropriate candidate would be child's play.

My husband is a man with brown hair and brown eyes – easily obtainable human pigmentation, but in order to have a higher probability of having a child that would resemble both William and I, I quickly cast away thoughts of choosing any of the fair-haired SOLDIERs as the donator to my cause. Anyone who had the recessive gene for red hair was also left out of my search. If I came across blue eyes, green eyes or even grey, I immediately erased them from the list of possible candidates.

That left me with very few choices that would not have me arrested for stealing company property. I plan to 'accidentally' destroy a few specimen samples by spilling some 'poorly placed' liquids nearby, rendering them entirely useless in the end. A small price to pay and it wasn't as if they could ask for more, later on, to replace the lost samples.

I had only wished that I could have been allowed to know the names of each SOLDIER, but then again, perhaps it is best for me to only know their genetic codes and who they were. I could feign ignorance, if it ever comes up in the future.

I eventually found the perfect match. It was almost frightening how perfect this sample was. According to what I had in my database, this specimen was of partial Wutai heritage. Mixed with my own genes, the Wutai heritage would surely be more present in the child. On top of that, the child would most likely have a B blood type, the same as my husband. It was almost too perfect. Looking at all the characteristics of the sample, it was a perfect match to William, so I went ahead and took the sample.

And so, tonight, after I make love to my husband, I will begin the process of artificial conception.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

It has been almost two months since my plan was set into motion. I tested myself today to see the fruit of my labours.

After a two minute wait, my test told me that I was in fact with child.

William had never been so thrilled, except on our wedding day when we both said, 'I do'.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

It is my third month of pregnancy and I could be doing better. William has been a very doting husband, never straying far from me, if he could help it, especially with how Hojo has been eyeing me, as of late. It is no secret that the man has no qualms about using anything and anyone he wants to further his own research; William expressed his wish for me to take maternity leave, but I told him I wasn't that far along yet. I certainly feel all right. I do believe that I am one of the lucky few who don't experience morning sickness during pregnancy, although my appetite has doubled. Appropriate as I am eating for two, now.

I met Sephiroth for the first time today. He is a good young man, though a little brusque and cold. Very well mannered, I found. And curious. Apart from myself there are very few female lab technicians or scientists; even odder than that, I was obviously showing signs of being pregnant. He asked about the child growing in me and I felt compelled to answer whatever questions he had. The boy was no older than sixteen, however, he showed a maturity that was rare in others his age.

Somehow, I felt saddened by this, because I know that this maturity came not from his own choice, but rather, how Professor Hojo had thought to raise him in the labs. It made me wonder if my baby would wind up like that one day.

As if he had sensed my unease, he spoke almost reassuringly to me, "She'll be well cared for."

What an odd youth. I did not know what the gender of the child will be as of yet. He assumed the child will be a girl. Well, I could only hope for a little girl for William to love.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

It has been a week since I met young Sephiroth and I have been besieged by strange, wonderful and yet, also terrifying dreams. There are times when everything is at peace and the world seems to be well. There was no war and just fields upon fields of flowers, growing peacefully. I could see a girl running through them, her laughter floating through the air. Her embrace is wonderful and her kisses so sweet. There was much light within those dreams and she would sing so beautifully.

But then, there were times when that darling, beautiful child would do something awful. And those nightmares often outweighed the good dreams that I have become afraid of falling asleep. Nearly almost every time I've closed my eyes, I see visions of fire and blood. There is gunfire and screaming and an eerie green, swirling light that encompasses all. I see three swords, never clashing against one another, but turned against others.

I've told William about these dreams, but he tells me it's just anxiety caused by the pregnancy. For the sake of our child, he told me, I should try to find a way towards sleep, lest the stress hurt the baby. I cannot help, but think that something awful is on the horizon. Perhaps it is just some kind of chemical imbalance caused by my current state. I must look through things rationally.

Everything will be fine.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

The dreams persist, but the pain I once suffered through them have dulled in intensity. They are still frightening and make me apprehensive, but I awake having lived through the tragedy in them. It has been another few weeks and I am in the beginnings of my fourth month of pregnancy.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

Today, William wondered what our unborn child look like. Without really thinking, I told him that she was going to be beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that he would have to beat them down with a stick to keep them away from her. William laughed at me for being so sure, but said he would love nothing more than a beautiful little girl who looked just like her mother. He expressly wished for her to be like a traditional Wutai beauty with pale skin and dark hair. I couldn't help, but wish for him to have that perfect child.

That day William was asked to transfer to a new facility, but he held off giving his answer straight away, for which I was grateful. He was not the kind of man who would leave his pregnant wife behind and alone. He said as such. He also asked me, if I wanted to come along. In the end I agreed, but only after assessing our options. The baby might not take well to travel just yet.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

This day in particular I sought sanctuary from the lab and its fumes. Oddly enough, my feet had brought me to the SOLDIER floor without even thinking about it. I had never been to this floor before and when I realized where I was, I felt incredibly lost.

Rescue came in the form of young Sephiroth who had just finished training in the newly minted VR room. I am well enough along at this point and walking can be a bit of a chore. He helped me back to the laboratories, once again asking about the child. His eyes never strayed far from my belly, which was round. Almost six months now and the baby was developing quicker than I could ever imagine. Was it because of the genetic code of a SOLDIER's seed that had done this? Who knew, but I often worried.

I felt another one of my baby's kicks then and made a sound of surprise. Sephiroth had looked a bit shocked himself, wondering what was wrong. Because he seemed so alarmed, I calmed him down, telling him it was the baby kicking. He had made such a strange face then, almost pained. I heard rumours that his mother died while giving birth to him. Perhaps he was harbouring thoughts of her now, though they did not know one another. What could he be thinking though? About the pain he had caused her, during her pregnancy? I did not know. But I took his hands and placed them on my belly, as my child moved and kicked within me.

He was anxious at first, wanting to pull away. But when he felt that first bit of movement, he stilled. When the baby kicked again, there came an expression of wonder and the tiniest of smiles entered his face. He looked so serene then, feeling the baby's kicking. His hands were still unsure and had a tendency to hover, but he moved with the baby, almost anticipating where her feet would meet his hands. I could feel his inner turmoil ebb and all seemed right in the world.

It was about right then that I had a terrible vision of flames and burning that I ended up collapsing. I write this entry now, in the safety of my home, wondering what had brought it on. Never once had those awful dreams surfaced while I was awake. What had triggered it?

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

We are to be transferred to the new facility in Wutai. I am not sure how comfortable I am with being so close to the war. However, I have this strange feeling that I had made a terrible mistake with my pregnancy. I do not know why, but, perhaps, I had made something of a mistake when I chose the genetic material of a SOLDIER. I had not checked to know it belonged to which tier of SOLDIER, although I now suspect whose child this truly is and I fear for it.

Perhaps going to Wutai would be a good thing for my baby, whose life I had ruined by conceiving this plan of giving my husband the child he wanted. I am a fool, but to abort this baby now for any reason feels wrong. Not just for me or for William even. The baby is blameless in all of this, even though she has caused me nothing, but grief. I have carried her to this point already and I shall bring her to this world.

I just hope that Hojo never finds out that Sephiroth has a child.

**XX-Day XX-Month XXXX-Year**

I lay here now in a white room, body weak and weary, but I somehow still find the strength to write. It is hard, because tears still fill my eyes, my heart weak with emotion.

I held her for the first time today.

William and I had to take a boat to Wutai, because it was advised that going by air would cause undue stress on the baby. However, my water broke before we hit shore and I went into labour in the sterile infirmary of the ship. The baby was a month early, but my mind was so wracked with pain I cold barely wrap my mind around this fact. But when she arrived…when I held her for the first time, I never knew I could love such a little thing so much.

She was so small and fragile and warm. My little miracle child. My gift of the goddess.

William and I have decided to call her Persephone. A fitting name for our child. It is July 22, at four in the morning when she came into this world. Our precious little girl…

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

Angeal did not know what to think. If this was some kind of prank on his old friend's part it was insensitive and cruel; he was not laughing one bit. However, he knew, deep down, that something had been off. More than once, he thought she had looked familiar when they had first been acquainted. They were so similar in more than just looks, but he had been so blind in the role of 'father' that he neglected to see the truth of things.

He wanted so much to be that girl's father that he didn't know she was around her _real_ parent this whole time.

Angeal had not been ready to read the journal.

What was he to do? What could he do? The most honourable thing to do was to reveal the truth to Sephiroth. He deserved to know. He _had_ to know.

And what of little Persephone? Could he stand to uproot her just when she got settled finally?

Angeal stared at the book on the desk, knowing there was more to the journal; it must contain more entries about Persephone as she grew from a baby to a small child. A blameless child, who did not realize what her existence meant in this world. A child borne of a mother's desperate love…

"Mother in Banora," he muttered to himself, "what am I going to _do_?"


	22. Special: Father's Day

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K

**Prompt: **Father's Day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** A short little thing for everyone with small drabbles set in differing times. Mushiness, ho! :3 And Happy Father's Day!

**Special: Father's Day**

"_Fathers…can't live with them, can't live with their constant meddling."_

**Genesis**

Genesis never did see the resemblance. Then again, he was so embarrassed by his ham of a father that any similarities they did have were glossed over by the young man's selective memory. Nemesis Rhapsodos was everything the SOLDIER did not want to be – tied down, manipulated, abused and a pushover. Or so he thought.

Aside from joining SOLDIER to get closer to Sephiroth and attaining dreams of being a great hero, it was also a way of distancing himself from the person that was his father. His mother was the one who wore the pants in their relationship and it was an embarrassing state of affairs (and made worse by the fact that even Genesis had to bend to her will from time to time). He was more than glad to leave Banora behind him. His father…what did they have in common? Were they even related? Genesis hoped to Minerva he was adopted, because the very idea of sharing genetics with old Nemesis made Genesis want to die from shame alone.

Nemesis was a simpering man who threw his money and influence around in order to avoid confrontation – such a boring way to live. Such a cowardly way to live. Exactly what did his mother see in him? Tempest and Nemesis were as night and day – the true definition of an odd couple. Genesis supposed _someone_ out there should be able to survive and tolerate his mother's bad moods and tempers – for that alone, Nemesis should have been sainted. Saint Nemesis, patron saint of Patient Husbands and Tolerant Saps!

Also the patron saint of Left Field Surprises.

In their living room, a set of rapiers were kept on display. The both of them were nothing extraordinary and were actually really beaten up looking. To Genesis' keen eye, he could tell that these two blades had been overused to the point of almost breaking. It was an insult to the SOLDIER's sensibilities every time he saw them.

What was worse, his father would suddenly go on to tell him some odd fairytale whenever Genesis chanced a glance on them. On some days, the story was mercifully short – on others, Nemesis would just go on and on until Tempest would pick up the nearest apple and chuck it at her husband's head. Genesis never really thought about the story much and just accepted it as a part of his father's odd personality, until Genesis decided to do them all a favour by replacing the old swords with new ones as a sort of Father's Day gift.

Never in his life had Genesis ever seen his father so furious and he didn't understand why. His mother actually had a hard time trying to keep the old man from lashing out too badly, their roles switched for this one instance. Nemesis stomped out of the house, tersely mentioning that he needed air, leaving and mother and son behind in awkward silence.

"Those swords were very important to your father," Genesis' mother had said.

"Why?" Genesis asked in return.

"If it weren't for those swords, you wouldn't be here today."

And so, Tempest told the same story that Nemesis used to tell, minus all the extra flippery and flowery descriptions. Just the bare facts. The old, broken down rapiers had a very long history, one that figured deeply into the personal history of Genesis' parents.

As the story was told from Tempest's point of view, Genesis was stunned and incredulous. The son of the soldier in the story was his own father…it wasn't just some silly, baseless fairytale.

"Your father fought long and hard to win my hand…he's had his adventure already. All he wants is a peaceful life for his people and his family. All he wanted was for you to grow up never wanting."

Needless to say, Genesis felt guilty – an emotion he rarely allowed himself to feel. Of course, being a proud creature, he couldn't outright say he was sorry. But they do say that actions speak louder than words. By the end of the day, the rapiers were put back where they belonged above the mantle of the fireplace. Carefully polished and clean.

Nemesis never mentioned the swords or their story ever again, which made Genesis regret his actions all the more. The usual zest the man had had completely disappeared and the SOLDIER worried he had caused irreparable damage to their relationship.

However, that was put to rest when Nemesis came looking for him one day, throwing a sheathed sword onto Genesis' lap, smiling confidently.

"Come on, Gen. Let's see if you can keep up with your old man."

Being young (and enhanced) Genesis had an advantage against his old man, but he had something that his son lacked and that was the experience of over a 1000 duels. Granted, they were all against the same person, but those battles had been stubbornly fought with great determination and skill – something he was very much demonstrating to his son, who now began to see the family resemblance everyone else saw.

Nemesis was still very much an embarrassing ham, however, since he kept yelling cheesy lines as they duelled outside their hilltop home in Banora.

Well, Genesis mused, he must have gotten his flair from _somebody_. Might as well be the steadfast man who never gave up on his dreams of being together with his one true love.

"Take that you, lily-livered scallywag!"

"Minerva's pants, dad, you're so embarrassing!"

**Sephiroth**

To Sephiroth, a father was someone who was cold and distant – someone who gave you half of your genetic code and nothing more. Ever since he was young, the concept of a father had been a most disappointing thing whether the paternal figure was figurative, literal or surrogate.

His birth father had left his mother and allowed her to die bringing him into this world, an act he still couldn't forgive to this day. There must have been reasons – there had to be one, he used to reason as a child who hadn't had his hope stamped right out of him just yet. It was foolish, making excuses for a man he had never met and of whom the scientists in charge of him had never bothered to talk about, such was the status of the man called Sephiroth's father.

Although, in his youth, he had clung onto Doctor Gast, who treated him differently from the other scientists who attentively watched his growth into the man he was today. Gast had been a brilliant, steady and kind; the perfect image of a father, in the young boy's mind. Perhaps, he had even fantasized about him being his parent, but had been too afraid to say anything. Of course, that fantasy shattered the moment the good doctor secretly announced to him that he was going to have a child of his own – his very first. And then subsequently disappearing without a word after that. Sephiroth knew the truth of what happened now, but back then, he had been bitter and hurt.

He still was bitter and hurt; the sting of his original abandonment had not quite gone away just yet.

Sephiroth disliked the idea of fathers in his youth, often seeing terrible examples everywhere. The most prominent being President Shinra and how he treated his own son. Surely, he spared no expense for Rufus, however, the distance in which proud father and son kept with one another was also a testament to Sephiroth's opinion that fathers were just plain terrible folks.

Even now, he had his doubts.

As he ran down those flights of stairs in order to get to the infirmary where the sounds of his niece's voice could be heard – wailing and crying for a father who would never come – Sephiroth vowed he would never become a father. Sephiroth honestly thought he couldn't bear the thought of subjecting his own flesh and blood to his failings as a guardian. No matter if he did feel a paternal surge fill his being once in a while, when Persephone was near.

No matter if she would walk into his office to leave a little gift for him on Father's Day when the child thought her uncle wasn't around.

No matter if it was already too late.

**Angeal**

Fatherhood was not as he had imagined it to be. It was certainly a lot less glorious than he had originally anticipated.

Angeal had had grand dreams of finding a family with a lovely young woman who wouldn't mind his career as a SOLDIER and who wouldn't mind being a homemaker, same as his own mother. He wanted to be able to provide everything his family would need and treat his lady wife like the queen she was, since she would give him the son he always wanted. His son would resemble him, he thought, because he had good genes, but he wouldn't mind if his boy looked a bit like his mother, too. Softer features and maybe a tender nature? That would have been fine with Angeal. A lot of boys in a house all their own with a picket fence and a garden with one pet dog and a wife waiting for him to come home every day. Seemed to be just perfect.

He would teach the boys how to hunt, taking them on camping trips; show them how to defend themselves and others – teach them what it was to have honour and pride! They would bond and grow together and Angeal would make damn sure to be besides his boys every step of the way.

And where was he now? Well, he was still single – such was the way of a military man married to his job – and had a single daughter who wasn't even his own child by blood. He was always too busy to be with her, often foisting Persephone off with one of her uncles. Not to mention he almost had her killed a few times in their short acquaintance.

It was almost enough to make any man cry in frustration at their own inadequacies.

However, as inglorious as parenthood had been to him, he would never regret a single moment of it. In short, Angeal was happy to have Persephone as his daughter. Despite the tragedy that brought them together, he would never have any second thoughts about his decision to adopt the orphan girl. They had their ups and downs, but that was normal of any family, right? Angeal could wish all he could for his idyllic family with many sons and a wife, but the truth was, at the moment, little Seffie was all he needed.

Yes, he was not married and Persephone was left motherless, but her affection for him was enough and with the people who had gotten to know her, the girl would never be starved for love either. And Angeal would have promised to love her twice as much to make up for the lack of a mother – it was just how he was. Growing up as he had in Banora, he had lacked many things, but never the love of a parent. If he had to, the burly SOLDIER would have loved his daughter a hundred times as much as any other parent to make up for all the wrongs in his little girl's life.

And as for Persephone being an only child, well, they were still young and the future ahead of them was bright with promise. There was no rush to find a larger family – it was better this way. Had he more children, Angeal would have found himself in a situation where his attention would be stretched thin between all of his children to the point where they would go wanting. In between his friends, work and his mentorship with Zack, he was amazed that Persephone didn't demand more of his attention. She would have every right to.

"Papa! Papa! Look what I have for you!" called the same girl Angeal had been contemplating. A smile formed on his lips as she entered his office, tugging along Sephiroth as she did. The two men shared twin looks of understanding and quiet amusement, as their ward did her best to draw her father's focus.

"What do you have there, Persephone?" Angeal replied good-naturedly.

Persephone let go of her uncle's hand and trotted over to her father's chair side, her hands conspicuously behind her back and an impish little smile on her face. There was an excited bounce in her step – something inherited from her 'big brother' – as she hid Angeal's gift behind her back. Patiently, the dark haired SOLDIER waited for Persephone to continue, an amused twinkle in his eyes. Normally, this was where the half-Wutai girl would start her guessing game, but he supposed that she was too eager for him to receive her gift that she immediately listened to Sephiroth, when he gently urged her on.

"Happy Father's Day, papa!" chirped the girl, bringing up a plate with a single food item on it.

Seeing it, Angeal didn't know whether he should choke up with mixed emotions, or just smile at the thoughtfulness of the gesture.

One would think that Persephone would stay away from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches after the Incident, yet here she was, holding a plate with such a sandwich just for him on Father's Day. Since she was so little, his girl didn't quite know what else she could make him and had probably decided on making his favourite (all the while avoiding ingesting the peanut butter or letting it touch her skin directly, with the help of Sephiroth).

It was a simple, childish gesture, but it also meant the world to Angeal.

Picking her up, Angeal place Persephone on his lap and gave her a kiss on the forehead, which made her giggle.

"Thank you, Seffie." He kissed her cheek one more time, revelling in her laughter and sounds of delight.

She was a single, motherless girl, but she was his, for better or worse and he would treasure her for as long as he lived. Fatherhood was never an easy thing with his girl, since the road they walked together took so many twists and turns, but they would always make it through together…

"Love you, Papa."

"Love you, too, Seffie."


	23. Children

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** T

**Prompt: **Children

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** This has gotten depressing again. I swear, I should write cuter chapters more often. However, this was coming eventually and this hurdle will be jumped.

**017. Children**

"_Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn't listening."_

Angeal had remained as calm as any man could be in his situation. He reined in his emotions and did his best to look at things objectively, but whenever his mind strayed onto thoughts of his daughter - _Sephiroth's_ daughter - all he wanted to do was cry. He hadn't cried since he lost his father. Things probably weren't as bad as they might seem, he reasoned, but his emotions were beyond reason as his mind came up with all kinds of worst case scenarios.

"_Focus_," he scolded himself. Where had his resolve and common sense gone? He needed to focus - to think things over. Angeal rubbed his face, groaning softly at the slowly rising migraine he was getting.

Naomi's journal could be wrong. Somehow, she _had_ to be wrong. Persephone had blood tests done when she had been under Hollander's care. He would have said something if he had found something this important in her test results, right? Right?

Thinking about it, no, Hollander _wouldn't_ tell him. Not that he wasn't a good person (he had more morals than most people employed in the science department), however it was no secret that he had it out for Hojo and knowing that Hojo's 'prize project' (it always made Angeal feel a little ill when any of the SOLDIERs – including himself – were referred to as specimens and projects by the Shinra scientists) had a child already was something he would keep to himself – if only to rub it in Hojo's face later. Upon realizing this, alarm filled the dark-haired man, because the day Hojo realized Sephiroth had a child it would be all over for Persephone.

Ever since Sephiroth had been young, he had been raised by the science department; he had been tested and experimented on – made to become the perfect soldier in Shinra's army. The one who headed Sephiroth's development was Professor Hojo and very few others; quite a few assistants mysteriously disappeared during his friend's growing years, either because they knew too much or because they disagreed with the good doctor on many a subject to stay alive. It was amazing that Naomi had survived long enough to escape Shinra to give birth and raise her daughter without the threat of discovery looming over her. If Hojo had known...

Many rumours surrounded Hojo and none of them pleasant. One of them involved the man stealing children from the slums in order to experiment on them; Angeal could hope all he wanted that those rumours weren't true, but he had a feeling that Hojo wouldn't think twice about the moral implications of kidnapping and child exploitation.

So it was that Angeal went to pay Hollander a visit, after hiding Naomi's journal where no one could accidentally stumble upon it. Last thing he wanted was for Persephone or Sephiroth to find out the truth before it was time.

Angeal cursed himself. He hadn't been ready to read that book, that was for sure, but now that he had sampled the forbidden fruit, as it were, he had to take action. Yes, doing something productive was better than sitting around, doing nothing and hoping for the best.

Naomi had to be wrong. She had to be.

Though it was relatively late, Hollander was still in his lab, slaving away on a report. Straightening himself up, Angeal entered the room with a polite clearing of his throat.

"Doctor Hollander," Angeal greeted, "we need to talk."

Hollander looked up, smiling pleasantly at first, before he noticed the serious expression on the younger man's face. Schooling his own features, the scientist set aside his work and gestured for Angeal to take a seat so they could talk.

"You look troubled."

"I am."

"What's the matter, Angeal? Trouble in paradise again?"

"You could say that."

They sat across one another at the doctor's desk, both sporting sombre expressions. The scientist sat there, expectant; the SOLDIER was trying to figure out exactly what to say to the man in front of him. Not one to beat around the bush too much, Angeal decided to straight out tell Hollander what was bothering him.

"Hollander, tell me the truth...did you find anything odd in Persephone's blood?" he asked.

Hollander's brows rose up to his hairline, taken by surprise by the question posed. "Is that what's bothering you? Persephone recovered ages ago, Angeal. She won't relapse, I promise. As far as my professional opinion is concerned, your daughter –"

"That isn't what I want to know, Hollander," Angeal cut him off. "What I want to know...if there were any...anomalies in her blood."

"I don't understand."

"Sephiroth is Persephone's biological father."

A pause.

"...What?"

**xXThree SOLDIERs and a LadyXx**

Apparently, Hollander hadn't known after all. According to the good doctor, when making a blood test analyzers only searched for specific hormones, chemicals and diseases and nothing else. Hollander had noted that Persephone had an AB blood type, but he had been checking up on her overall health and nothing else. Plus, paternity tests took a lot longer to fulfill than a simple blood test. However, to assuage Angeal's growing worries, Hollander promised to check up on Angeal's surrogate daughter's parentage.

For now, all he could do is wait things out.

"_I have to wonder what brought this on...I know Seffie looks a bit similar to Sephiroth, but that alone isn't evidence to the truth."_

"_I...I just want to know more about my child..."_

This was umpteenth time that Angeal felt inadequate as a father – would Gaia ever give him a break? First the Incident with the peanut butter, which revealed Angeal's lack of knowledge on Persephone personally; there also came the day when he made a lack of judgement in leaving Genesis alone with Persephone and she had almost been kidnapped by Wutai spies; the last time almost saw him watching her life leave her body...and Minerva forbid he'd ever have to see that again!

It was test after test after test of parenthood and Angeal barely held up after each of them. And now, there was one more...

_What do I do if Persephone really is Sephiroth's daughter...? I have to tell him, but...when...? How?_ Angeal thought as he stood in front of his friend's office. Beyond the door, he could hear the general's low tones, speaking gently to a girl that could actually be his kin. Imagine that. It was almost amazing to think about; Sephiroth had grown up around the clinical and the distant, missing both of his parents or any other relative. Angeal had done all he could to fill in the gap, but his was a surrogate kind of family.

Family should be with family, thought the dark-haired man as he knocked on the office door, before it opened for him. Sephiroth deserved to know, Angeal thought with resolve. It was the right thing to do, painful as it was. It wasn't as if he would be saying good-bye if it came out that little Persephone was his best friend's offspring.

"Sephiroth, I'm here to pick up Persephone," Angeal called out, but was almost immediately hushed. Walking further in, he spotted Sephiroth with an open book and Persephone asleep on the couch.

"She just fell asleep," explained the silver-haired man as he put the book he had been reading away. "I made sure Persephone finished her homework; her behaviour was very pleasant, although she expressed that she missed you during dinner. As your commanding officer, I need not remind you about having distractions at work..." Sephiroth smiled here, a hint of mischief on his lips. "However, as your friend, I would encourage you to spend as much time as possible with your daughter."

"I suppose I haven't been paying her as much attention as I should," Angeal acknowledged as he crouched next to the couch. Raising a hand, he stroked Persephone's hair. "I'll make it up to her."

If Angeal had the time to that was...If it didn't turn out that his daughter belonged with his friend.

Belonged with his friend...

"Hey, Sephiroth...do you think you would have taken Persephone in, if it had been you and not me, back in Wutai?" Angeal asked. It was a bit random – even to Angeal himself – but there was a point to it: if it did come to the point where the dark-haired SOLDIER had to give the news to Sephiroth, he wanted to know that Persephone would be in good hands. Even if she was of Sephiroth's blood, Angeal had seen her first – held her first – loved her first. It was, perhaps, a bit petty, but he had to know. While he did not doubt his friend's strategic abilities, child-rearing was still a foreign subject to the general. Sephiroth was getting better, if Persephone being comfortable enough around the man was any indication, but he had to make sure that Sephiroth would be prepared for what might await him in the near future.

The silver-haired man fell into a contemplative silence, mulling over his friend's words carefully as he tried to find the right words for his answer. Casting his aquamarine eyes onto the sleeping girl the words came to him. Be Persephone's father? Him?

"I...have thought about it," Sephiroth began. "I do not think I would be suited for family life. It is not that I do not appreciate what you've done for me by making me...a part of your family, Angeal...but I do not think I could ever be a father. Not Persephone's especially..."

_Even though there's a real chance you're her actual father._

"...Right now Angeal, I do not think I am capable of being a father. I had grown up surrounded by awful paternal figures; even though you would argue many of them would not count. As it is, I never even got to know my own mother, so any examples to parenthood are...at best...extremely lacking..."

Sephiroth sighed, leaning against the wall nearest the couch. He closed his eyes a moment, his expression somewhat sad and tired.

"So, in this instance, although I am quite attached to young Persephone...I would have referred to you as a candidate for her adoptive parent," added the general, surprising Angeal.

"You would have?" Angeal inquired, keeping the incredulousness out of his tone.

Sephiroth nodded. "I would have, if that had been the situation." Opening his cat-like eyes, he levelled a stare at father and daughter at the couch and smiled slightly. "Seeing you two the way you are now...I would trust no one else with the upbringing of Persephone."

"I...see..."

Well, that was unexpected. Then again, he should have seen it coming. Though he may be intimidating and aloof, it did not mean that Sephiroth was not above feeling and observing those around him. Ever watchful, Sephiroth always knew what was going on around him, even if he didn't fully understand the situations or the concepts of social interaction completely, he knew what they meant on the grander scale of things. And it meant everything to Angeal that his friend thought him suitable to the role of father.

"Thank you, for everything, Sephiroth."

The general said nothing and swept out of his office, the ghost of a smile on his lips as he left father and daughter alone.

**x XThree SOLDIERs and a LadyX x**

It was a good two weeks after Angeal had read the journal; it had been a long, anxious wait for the test results, but they were finally here to confirm what Naomi had written in her journal. It was afternoon, still, and not yet time for Angeal to go and pick Persephone up at school. He thought he would need time to come to terms with what he would find this day, but the SOLDIER felt oddly serene right now. Calm. Hearing Sephiroth's words the same night he had read the journal had done much to help Angeal make his decision concerning Persephone.

The SOLDIER commander sat in his office, staring holes into the envelope that had been delivered to his door. Within this manila envelope were the dreaded results for the paternity test Angeal had asked Hollander to do for him. Obviously the good doctor already knew whether or not Sephiroth was Persephone's father or not. He was kind of glad that no one else was going to be around for when he found out the truth...found out if Naomi was right or just making assumptions due to her circumstances.

Inhaling deeply, Angeal reached out and took the envelope in his hand. He opened it and pulled the documents out slowly...

He stared at the papers and laughed. He laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes.

At some point, a blond grunt entered his office, then scurried right back out upon seeing the usually composed Commander Hewley laughing almost hysterically. Afterward, someone else entered Angeal's office, drawn in by the grunt the dark-haired SOLDIER had scared off earlier. It was Sephiroth and he looked rather concerned for his friend's state of mind, as Angeal's laughter hadn't died down yet. In fact, upon seeing the Silver General Angeal laughed even harder, further confusing Sephiroth.

"Are you feeling all right, Angeal?" the general inquired. His eyes strayed to some strewn papers on his subordinate's desk, but they were flipped upside down, so he couldn't read what they were and immediately dismissed them.

After a few more moments, Angeal's uncontrollable mirth ebbed and he was able to string together a coherent sentence.

"I'm perfectly all right. I'm just...life is just _odd_ and this world is incredibly..._incredibly_ small," stated Angeal as he wiped one of his eyes.

A fine silver brow raised itself, not quite believing his friend was fine. It wasn't every day you walked in on Angeal Hewley not acting like himself.

"Well, if you are all right...Genesis is coming home tomorrow...I thought it might be good if the three of us got together in the VR room. It's been a while since we all sparred," said Sephiroth. He folded his arms and leaned against a wall, closing his eyes a moment as he waited for a reply from Angeal.

Angeal was also quiet now, his expression wistful. He fingered the corners of the papers he had on his desk, though he did not turn them over. Toying with them a bit longer, he eventually came to the decision that no, he was not going to spar with his friends tomorrow. It was the weekend and he had promised he would spend a bit more time with Persephone; he was sure that Genesis would understand that he would miss out on meeting with him...or would he?

"No, I need to spend some quality time with Persephone this weekend, but I don't think she'd object if her favourite uncles came over for dinner. Her class just started a cooking course and they made cookies. I'm sure she wants to share in her success."

Sephiroth nodded, smiling softly. "I'm sure that will be fine with Genesis when he returns." Opening his eyes, he pushed off from the wall, his face becoming sombre. "In the meantime, AVALANCH is on the move again and I need you and Zack to go investigate a lead we've found..."

Understanding, Angeal nodded, getting up from his seat. Moving swiftly to join Sephiroth as the general started walking out of the burly SOLDIER's office, explaining their mission for the day, his quick movement caused a small wind that pushed the paternity test results onto the floor behind him. They laid face-up on the floor, later to be hastily picked up by Angeal and carefully locked away, lest someone other than he found them.

It would be an awful thing for someone other than family to see the truth hidden in those pages.

_One day, when they're ready, I'll tell them._

For now, those documents were laid bare to the sunlight shining into the empty room...with positive results written all over them.


	24. Shapes

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **K

**Prompt:** Shapes

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series.

**Warning**: This chapter contains the musings of a six year-old and, as such, I wrote this chapter to reflect that. I apologize in advance if it's hard to read.

**018. Shapes**

"_Now let me show you the shape of my heart."_

The fan clubs were so silly. That was what Seffie thought. Why? Because they never seemed to get their facts right, unless it was about the really, really, really, _really_ small things like how uncle Sephiroth always had to buy his shampoo in 'sub price' because his hair needed lot and lots of it.

Big brother Zack showed Seffie some of his mail one day, when she had been curious about his phone; it had some weird stuff from her uncles' and papa's fan clubs, which had all kinds weird stuff all about them. Like what kind of shampoo they liked using or their favourite colour or even if her papa liked long walks on the beach. After seeing this, she thought that grown-up ladies were really weird and hoped to Minerva she didn't wind up all weird and silly like that. Seffie would have liked it if there were clubs for baking or something, like at school.

Zack let Seffie see his mails from the clubs, from time to time, just because it was always funny what the older ladies wrote about her papa and uncles. Sometimes there was something about big brother Zack, too. In the evening when the older teen wasn't doing anything, they would huddle together on uncle Sephiroth's couch just reading and laughing.

The most recent post was to the Keepers of Honour club, '_dead edict-ed_' to her papa. What was written in the mail was a topic for discussion: What kind of shape did Angeal's heart have?

Well, that was a silly question. Looking at him, it was obvious what kind of shape Papa Angeal's heart had…er…wasn't it?

Seffie asked her big brother what kind of shape her papa's heart was and he just laughed at her – not in a way that made her feel stupid, but in a way that said she said something silly and that made her squirm and blush – and told her to figure it out on her own. She'll get there, if she really tried hard enough.

And so began Seffie's contemplation about the shape of her papa's heart.

At first, she took this seriously and quickly came to the conclusion that hearts were heart shaped and nothing more. A heart could only be shaped like one, otherwise they'd look funny when you'd cut them out of construction paper, right? On Valentine's you cut out hearts and they were kind of an upside-down triangle glued to two circles every single time. Sometimes Seffie never quite got them even, but she knew how they were _supposed_ to look. When she presented this to Zack, he laughed again. Seffie pouted and wondered aloud what was so funny.

Smiling at her, patient big brother Zack told her that the question asked by the fanclub was not about the actual shape of Angeal's heart.

"How do I put this…it's more like…'what kind of shape would Angeal's heart be, if you could give it a shape', kind of question. Do you understand?" he asked gently, the teen doing his best to explain what the fan club members meant. With the extra bit of detail understanding dawned on the girl's face and it was right back to figuring out exactly what shape her papa's heart was.

It was a lot harder than the girl thought.

There was no shape that she thought worked with her papa. Not one shape, anyways. Her mind kept drifting back to the '_tray-dictional_' heart, only it was bigger and bigger every time she came back to it. No doubt that her papa had a big heart, but that was just so normal. Her papa deserved something special, because he was special. Whatever the shape was it had to be _big_, to reflect the shape of his heart. She had to think…

Truth was she barely knew her new papa. They were still getting to know each other every day. It was a new, amazing, scary adventure that happened every single day. Seffie was never bored and even though her real mommy and daddy were gone, Papa Angeal always did his best to love her in his own clumsy way. Papa wasn't very good with little girls, but that didn't make him any less of a papa, in her eyes. But Angeal really was a bit awkward and silly. Seffie really did love him, though.

Seffie knew Angeal was a SOLDIER – a great fighter. He always talked about dreams and honour and pride. He was also very protective and strong – also really smart! She was proud to call him her father, because he was a hero in her eyes. At first, she couldn't quite forgive him for not saving her parents – it had been hard believing that they were gone just like that, because he couldn't protect them. Hadn't done his work and didn't save them from…being gone. But her papa…he wasn't invincible, but he was strong and he wanted to make everything right in the world.

Pride, honour, dreams and love…that was her papa, all right.

"Hmm…a shape...a shape…" It really was hard, trying to figure out the shape of a person's heart. All she knew that it was big like a super-large Valentine card.

_Hmm…big…Papa's Buster Sword is big…_mused Seffie. It suddenly clicked in her mind. The Buster Sword!

That was it! It was big like the girl's papa's heart and was quite strong, too, just like him. It also represented her papa's dreams and pride – oh, and his honour, too! Plus, it was just as awkward as her papa, being so big and heavy that even big brother Zack didn't feel comfortable enough to hold it when he was allowed. It was _perfect_!

_Just like papa's heart…it's big and strong and is able to protect the ones he loves. It's a bit weird, but that's okay. We love him just the way he is. It was a gift from Papa Angeal's papa and has a lot of dreams on it._

Seffie smiled at this, feeling satisfied that she had figured this out on her own. She felt that she, maybe, understood her new papa a bit better now and rushed off to tell Zack as soon as possible, this discovery of hers.


	25. Original Crisis: Case of Marlene

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **Original Crisis

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** Some of you wondered what would become of Persephone. While I can't say what would become of the Persephone in the main story, I can tell you what happens to her in the universe where every bad thing in the FFVII compilation happened, happens with her somewhere in it. This is a series and small bits and pieces that take place in the 89 Message special/Original Crisis universe. 89 Messages spans Crisis Core, the original game and all the way to Advent Children. The following ficlets are what happens a bit before the beginning of Advent Children and after Dirge of Cerberus. Warning, there's some major angst in the following ficlets. Please skip them continue with the main storyline.

**Original Crisis**

_The Case of Marlene_

Sometimes, not even Tifa had enough time for Marlene. And that meant hiring out a babysitter to keep an eye on her while the older woman worked for their bread and butter, which was silly, because Marlene was old enough to look after herself. After all, if the female brawler thought it wise to leave a four year old girl all alone to run a bar by herself, surely she could be just fine without a babysitter, right?

No matter what the small girl said, Tifa would have none of it. She explained that, back then, AVALANCH did not have the luxury of choice – that her father, Barret, had no choice, but to leave her behind as he ran off to save the world. Marlene had understood that he had important world saving work to do and still understood it now, so why couldn't she just stay in her room and play by herself? Or maybe she could help with the bar!

Things were not so simple, Tifa would say and Marlene was soon left alone with a stranger for a caretaker, who was, in fact, quite nice.

She was a teen from Kalm with very long black hair that Marlene envied. It was like a princess', all long and straight and pretty. She had a soft smile that reminded her of someone's, but Marlene had no idea whose. It was like something from a far-off dream.

"Hello, Marlene. I'm Persephone. It's very nice to meet you."

For a little while, Persephone took care of Marlene and when he came to live with everyone at Seventh Heaven, Denzel, too, when Cloud or Tifa couldn't. It was really nice, having her around, even if Marlene still insisted she was perfectly fine by herself.

But Persephone was very affectionate and nice and very helpful.

And also a little sad.

Marlene could see it in her shoulders – it was the same way Tifa looked when she was waiting for a call from Cloud or was worried about him, when he would suddenly go off without a word. He did that a lot more often now – it was hard to find him and even harder for Tifa to keep her head up high. Persephone was this way, too.

When she thought no one was looking, the older girl would glance outside her bedroom window or around the streets, as if expecting someone to call out for her. There was this quiet expression of disappointment that would display for a second, before it was covered up with a soft smile, aimed at Marlene. The little girl often wondered what those looks meant, but did not pry, because Tifa said that was rude.

But still, Marlene wondered about her sitter who she came to adore as an older sister.

An older sister who had no problems walking around rickety rafters trying to retrieve Marlene's stuffed chocobo back during one of their visits to Aerith's church. A sneaky scavenger monster had infiltrated the sanctuary and stole Marlene's doll and ran away with it. Persephone promised to get it back, going so far as to chase the offending monster all the way to the top of the church's ceiling. Dread filled the brown-haired girl's being as she watched her babysitter climb though a hole in the roof, still hot on the monster's trail. For a whole agonizing five minutes, Marlene wondered if something bad had happened.

What should she do? Should she call for help? Persephone had left her cell phone (a tattered, faded, old thing) with Marlene before rushing off to save the day, so Cloud or Tifa was one phone call away. But should she do it now? Later? Wait a bit more? Oh, just what was going on up there?

When the girl felt too anxious just doing nothing, she started to dial when the roof suddenly started falling down. Bits and pieces of old, rotted wood fell down in clumps as something large plummeted from the roof, screaming. Whatever it was had landed in the flowers, causing more than a few petals to fly up and scatter. With great alarm, Marlene realized it was _Persephone_ who fell. Panic set in once more when it appeared that the older girl wasn't moving at all, after her fall.

Marlene actually shrieked with fright when Persephone groaned softly.

"Am I in heaven…?"

Regaining her composure, Marlene approached the dark-haired girl, kneeling next to her curled up form. "Not really. It's the flower lady's church, remember?"

Persephone nodded, and then regretted the action right away. She was seeing spots from moving her head, so the young woman decided that staying down was a good idea for the moment.

Though she was tired and obviously hurt, a chocobo doll was held up triumphantly towards Marlene as Persephone gave a weary smile.

"Here you go, angel. One chocobo."

All that trouble for a single toy. Why…?

As if sensing her thoughts, Persephone said, "A long time ago, my papa told me I should always have honour and pride in everything I did. And, well, pride's a very heavy burden to carry sometimes…but it's worth it."

Marlene didn't quite understand that those words meant, but she nodded anyways, clutching her stuffed chocobo close to herself. Her brown eyes were on Persephone, who still hadn't managed to get up yet and she could see, with practice ease, that look of distant sadness once more. Looking at her, then at the slightly mangled toy the older girl had saved; Marlene gently pressed the doll into Persephone's arms, making sure her arms were wrapped around it securely.

Persephone was puzzled by the gesture, but accepted the act of kindness, which would be the first of many in the future, between herself and her little charge.

One other time of note was when Marlene would adorn the older girl's hair with a flower plucked from the patch. She would always wear the bloom, which mysteriously kept fresh despite the passage of time. So resilient and strong, were Aerith's flowers.

The flowers underneath Persephone were resilient the day she fell through the roof, cushioning her fall enough that she only sprained her ankle and wrist. And the day that Denzel was cured of Geostigma, they had gone, leaving behind only a pool filled with the petals from the lost flowers; the flower lady's gift to everyone. However, the evidence of Persephone's descent was still clearly marked on the old roof of the old church. Perhaps, it had been starting point to everything that would go completely wrong for the young woman, who vanished from Marlene's life when she was no older than eight years old.

Short as the time they had spent together, Marlene had cherished that it, though she would not allow those memories to keep her down; but she would remember with great fondness, of the older sister she never had. That sad, sweet older girl who had a heavy weight on her shoulders…a weight that never seemed to go away, even when they met again, years later, on opposite sides of the battle field.

Sixteen years old, Marlene found the world was still a dangerous place with a threat by the name of Deepground. It was still a sad, lonely, dangerous place.

It was said that Commander Redfield had gone insane, burning down the village of Kalm in her madness. Not a single body had been found – everything had been burnt to nothing, but ashes. Marlene couldn't wrap her mind around why or how this could have happened. However it had and as she stood next to Denzel, across from Persephone she wondered for the umpteenth time, why such a kind person would do such a horrible thing.

Especially since, after all these years, Persephone's shoulders still looked like they held the weight of the world and the sadness didn't quite hide itself under the blank expression on her face.


	26. Original Crisis: Case of Denzel

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **Original Crisis

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** More Original Crisis! There is a point to this mini-series, I promise you.

**Original Crisis**

_The Case of Denzel_

Denzel really didn't like his commanding officer. She was a crazy slave driver who didn't know when to quit; there was not an ounce of humanity in her that wasn't irredeemable according to Denzel. He swore that Persephone was out to embarrass the hell out of him when she wasn't working him to the bone. 'Waste not, want not,' was what she always told him. As if that made any sense! And why him? Why not some other soldier in the W.R.O.? Alright, she used to babysit him way back when, but that did not give the older woman any right to harass him and dragging him onto every mission she was assigned. There were other people out there!

What was worse was that Persephone only took him. No one else ever followed them along whatever assignment the W.R.O. commander happened to be on. Ever since he had joined the ranks of the W.R.O. Denzel had been stuck in Persephone's shadow. At first he thought she would go easy on him, because she had been easy-going with him, growing up - however, instead of the warm young woman who used to take care of him as a child, he was met with a monster of a woman...

...who had her flashes of humanity every once in a while.

Though it had been years now, there were still traces of Deepground scattered throughout the world causing trouble for the W.R.O. and the Planet it protected. Acts of terrorism had died down recently, but they were still an all too common an occurrence for everyone's tastes. Everyone was on high alert thanks to them.

Denzel had been in Junon on assignment alongside a squad of W.R.O. soldiers led by none other than Commander Redfield. Deepground had launched a surprise attack on the port town, resulting in many civilians getting hurt by a wave of strange winged monsters in red. New monsters cooked up by the underground organization? Probably, who knew? Denzel didn't question how they came to exist - all he cared about was shooting these things down and not dying. He had done his best, taking down the enemy from one end of the port to the other, winding up on the old airfield where Persephone was dispatching a particularly nasty looking winged monster with cold efficiency.

When she was done, she turned to him and smiled pleasantly. "Denzel. Took you long enough to get here," she teased as was her nature. Her coat, he noticed was disturbingly immaculate, compared to the mess she left on the metal ground. "It would seem as if there are more of these...creatures. There have been other sightings of them in other towns, such as Wutai, Nibelheim, Kalm…"

"I see," stated Denzel.

"…And...Edge."

Denzel, to say the least, was quite alarmed. It took him the better part of a three hour gauntlet to get from the very bottom of Junon to the airfield up top with nary a break - and she was telling him there was more? And worse yet, at home, of all places? Considering the circumstances, Denzel knew Wutai and Nibelheim would take precedence over home. And knowing Persephone she was probably going to drag him with her to the other locations to exterminate their latest string of problems. But he couldn't go, he just couldn't. Not when Edge was in danger. Not while Marlene was in danger.

Like an omen of ill fortune, Denzel heard Persephone chuckle as she walked past him.

"Permission to return, granted," said the commander, surprising Denzel.

"Huh?" Realizing his jaw was dropping and he was staring impolitely at his commander's back, the soldier straightened up and gave a proper reply and salute. "Yes, m'am."

Persephone chuckled and kept on going, most likely to head operations on the other areas.

"Take care, Denzel," she replied, that familiar warmth from their youth now in her voice which had him staring in shock again.

Automatically, he replied, still a bit bewildered by the sudden show of humanity, "You, too."

"We'll meet again soon, Denzel. Tell Marlene 'hello' for me."

And then she was gone and that would be the last time Denzel would ever see Persephone, commander in the W.R.O. The next time they met, she was one of _them_.

Prior to Denzel meeting Persephone in Nibelheim, months after the attack on Junon, there had been rumours about a mole inside the W.R.O. feeding information to Deepground, which was why their covert operations and rescue missions always ended up in a stalemate, or _worse_. The only times, some would say, that nothing bad had ever happened was when Commander Redfield was in charge and it probably wasn't just her 'talent' shining through. There was something suspicious about a young woman so high up in the ranks.

Of course, Denzel got mad whenever anyone insinuated anything about Persephone. She may be a heartless task master at times, ruthless and aloof on others, but, deep down, Denzel knew that Persephone was a good person and she was still that girl who took care of him as a child, even if only for the briefest of moments.

And even though she had the infamous Masamune pointed at his chest now, here in Nibelheim, where the W.R.O. had gotten an anonymous tip about Deepground activity, he could see it in her eyes.

No matter that the all too human emotion of grief was showing in them.

"Boys don't belong on the battlefield," she stated, monotonously. "Leave this place, now, while you still can."

Without hesitation, he levelled his rifle at her. It would be an insult to his commanding officer, if he didn't go all-out. It would be an insult to his memory of a friend.

"Sorry, commander. Got lots of people to save. My job, you know."

And her eyes narrowed just a bit as her brows pinched just a sliver of a millimetre; it made Denzel grin, knowing he could cause this monster of a woman to react like that. Within this enemy beat the heart of someone who cared too much, no matter what kind of atrocities she had committed.

"You're a fool."

"Nah, just a little crazy," he said, eyes never leaving his opponents. His expression was serious as he unlocked the safety of his rifle. Then, he said, "Don't worry, Persephone. I'll save you. That's a promise."

A startled look passed over her features for a split second, before it became blank again.

"I don't need to be saved by the likes of _you_!" said the ex-commander as she swiped the ridiculously long blade at the younger man, starting the first of many battles between the two of them.

And they would meet and clash many a time, sometimes with only each other, sometimes Denzel having back-up or vice versa. Denzel fought long and hard during each fight, stubbornly never giving an inch no matter how many times he was thrown back or injured. No matter that Marlene kept begging him to stop. Because he wasn't just fighting for the Planet. He was fighting to save someone who _needed_ him. Denzel realized all too late that he cared for Persephone like family – maybe something more, but now he would never know – and he could see _it_ in her eyes when her blade met the side of his rifle. They were the eyes of someone crying out for help.

And he promised he'd save her. Denzel never broke his promises.

Although he did, because somehow…that spark of humanity had vanished from his mind completely – as if it had never been there before – when Denzel heard Persephone had killed an entire village, taking Marlene with them and that had caused the young soldier to do something he would regret for the rest of his life.

On a battlefield, a year after Persephone defected from the W.R.O., as if replaying some age old story, Denzel had dealt the final blow to his old commander using Persephone's Lost Pride – a sword constructed from the remains of Cloud's friend's old blade – the Buster Sword. There was a look of shock on the dark-haired woman's face as they stood together, in the ruins of Midgar, at the end of their final duel. The blade had gone cleanly through her abdomen and slid out easily, dripping in the woman's blood.

Persephone stumbled forward, grasping onto Denzel and chuckling softly, as if she had one more last secret…

One more last bit of humanity in her.

She looked up, defeated, still holding onto him. And she smiled the most dazzling, puzzling smiles he had ever seen.

"Heh. You've grown up…Denzel…"

He stood there motionless, emotionally drained and tired. This was his enemy's last moments and he knew he should hate her with everything he had, but…

"Denzel…"

Red hot tears simply started prickling at his eyes.

"I'll see you soon."

And just like that, she fell. Right in front of him, smiling ever so peacefully, as if she had any right to.

As if she, of all people, had any right to die peacefully as a human being.


	27. Original Crisis: Case of Cloud

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **Original Crisis

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** Even more of Original Crisis Persephone's life. Yet another companion piece to 89 Messages.

**Original Crisis**

_The Case of Cloud_

Cloud had met up with Zack once more in his dreams, the man telling him that there was one last thing he needed Cloud to do for him. One last thing.

It nearly killed him to do it. Not in a real sense, but the metaphorical, emotional, Gaia-damn-it-all Zack, sort of way that made his chest contract in pain, but for the one who saved him from certain death, well, he'd take on Sephiroth again (well, maybe not again, three times was enough for him and he was getting old, thank you very much). What did he have to do? The deceased SOLDIER asked him to forge a new sword out of the old, rusted Buster Sword that was used as his grave marker in the Midgar Wastes. He needed for it to be forged anew. Smaller, better. Not all of it needed to be used. Just enough of the sword.

A new sword was needed.

_For what?_ Cloud wondered.

_For someone who will need it in the future_. That was what Zack told him.

_And how would he know who to give it to?_

Zack told him he would know the moment they met.

And so, Cloud began to create a new sword with the remains of the Buster Sword.

Little did Cloud know – mainly because he only had a few scant memories' of Zack's here and there mixed in with his own – the Buster Sword had a very long history, spanning years. It had passed more hands than an old, worn, hand-me-down sweater and, once again, it was to be passed on to new hands. The Buster Sword had belonged to quite a few heroes in the past…would its new owner, in its new incarnation, become a hero as well?

Getting off the rust was no easy task and some parts of the weapon were unusable, so he left those behind to become Zack's new marker. No matter what was asked, he could never forget his one and only friend during those years of confinement and experimentation, nor during their years together working for Shinra as comrades in arms. Zack sometimes spoke of someone – his mentor, he mused – who owned the Buster Sword before him, who taught him the meaning of upholding one's dreams, pride and honour. Something that he also taught others – or tried to, anyways. Back then, everyone was looking for glory even after the war had been over – Cloud included. All to impress a girl who probably wouldn't have looked at him twice.

_Focus_, Cloud urged himself. There was a sword that needed to be made and only he could make it. There were many talented blacksmiths out there – engineers that could create the most fantastical of weapons and Cloud coutned himself one of them. Well, not really. He was nothing special, in the end, but he really did enjoy working with his hands. It kept his mind occupied and kept him from dwelling on the past. Tifa was a wonderful distraction s well, he thought with a smile. So were Denzel and Marlene and _everyone_ who was still with him. Although lives had been lost – precious ones – he knew grieving forever would do him nothing and had decided to live, after being given a second chance.

He still had to forgive himself, after all.

Time had passed, since Kadaj and his gang had stirred up trouble and more since the situation with Deepground and Omega. Things still hadn't quite cleared up with the secret, underground remnants of old Shinra's SOLDIER program and probably wouldn't be done and over with for a while, but such was life. Absolute peace didn't exist, but it never hurt to fight for what you cared for and believed in. He was stupid to forget about that.

The day he was finished the sword, Marlene was starting high school and Denzel was just starting his training with the W.R.O.; someone approached him, a man in a familiar dark suit, asking about a sword and had seen the one Cloud had been working on and asked about it.

Cloud's first instinct was to take offense and become cold, saying the sword was not for sale and to throw the guy out of his home. However, someone else appeared behind the stranger, a person he did recognize, if only barely. At this point, it had been a few years since he last saw them.

"Persephone," the blond greeted, keeping his surprise hidden. Years ago, this girl – a _young woman_ now, obviously, he corrected – used to babysit for him and Tifa. She had definitely grown up and was…wearing the uniform of a soldier in the W.R.O.

Somehow, that bit of hostility lessened at the sight of the girl shyly nodding in acknowledgement of his salutations. Her eyes sparkled at the finished sword he held and, oddly enough, there was an odd sensation of compelling that made him want to give it to her.

_Huh, so this was what Zack meant._

"This was meant for you. Take care of it."

She nodded, reverently taking the 'new' sword into her hands. The dark-haired woman swung it experimentally, getting a feel for it. There was a sense of pride, watching her wield the smaller, sleeker, lighter weapon in her hands. It looked and felt right and Cloud felt that this was all right. The Zack part of him that still lived within his very being made him preen and want to bask in the glowing smile of the young woman before him, who had obviously grown up just fine. A part of him…knew her, though Cloud scarcely knew why. Not as the girl who cared for his 'kids', but as someone else entirely, and he couldn't help, but imagine a tiny, girlish voice saying 'big brother' in his mind. It was so strange…

"Use brings wear, tear and rust, as my papa used to always say, so I'll be careful with it…what's the sword's name?" Persephone asked.

A name? Well, since he had only just finished polishing it to a beautiful shine, Cloud hadn't quite named the newly forged blade yet. But it did have a lot of history and held the dreams of quite a few people within it. Lost pride and dreams…

"Lost Pride," he answered at length.

A fitting name, for a sword that would make them lose it all in the future. Cloud didn't know what had been more horrifying, coming to grips with the fact that he had armed the second (or third, if you counted Kadaj, but he had nipped that one in the bud before he did too much damaged) coming of Sephiroth or that the same sword he had made was the one to bring her ultimate end. Denzel had dealt the 'final blow', though it only slowly brought her to an end, as the final showdown with Deepground had continued on without her.

And she had appeared one last time. Right in front of Cloud.

Persephone had been a traitor, someone who gave away the W.R.O.'s secrets to the enemy and then joining them, actively fighting against her former comrades and burning down every single village, never leaving a single survivor behind in her wake.

However, she also saved Cloud's life.

He was old, to be sure. He had gotten on in age and his skills as a fighter hadn't bene needed as much. His joints hurt, his back ached and he was pretty sure he was developing some kind of memory loss illness, too, since he always misplaced his keys. He was over forty now. Not old enough to retire and Cid and Barret had bene pretty spry, back in the day, despite their age. Then again, they didn't go through half the crap he had to and maybe all those dips in mako and the Lifestream was catching up to him…

When it came down to it and he was surrounded, she came to his rescue, bleeding and weary and _dying_. Commander Persephone Redfield usually carried three swords in a harness, but one was missing. He wielded Masamune in her hands, a weapon Cloud had hoped he would never, ever see again. He half expected it to be pointed at him, after it had slashed every single last one of the Deepground soldiers advancing upon him, as she turned around to face him, hair flying in all directions because of the strong updraft caused by the fire burning all around them.

Nibelheim was burning again.

For a split second, as she turned, bloodied with everyone on fire around her, he thought he could see _him_ again and his heart raced.

But the gentle smile that was on her face was uncharacteristic of that man and the weary, hurt look on her face was entirely foreign altogether. Her hand was pressed to her middle, where blood was still dripping out. She was sweating from the effort of staying upright. He could see the trail of blood she had left behind her, in her efforts to get to where he was.

Persephone colasped and he caught her.

"Please save Denzel," she whispered to him. "I can't do it…I don't…I don't think I can reach him in time…not like this…"

It was strange to be holding her like this, when he had never held her before and his whole body knew this feeling already. Memories. Genetic memories. Zack's memories were surfacing again, unbidden.

"Please tell him…_she's_ all right…for me."

Before Cloud could ask what the woman meant, they were under attack again. Roughly, she pushed away from the blond, grasping Masamune tightly in her shaking, crimson hands. Someone yeleld traitor and Cloud instinctively seized up, but he soon realized that it was meant for Persephone who leveled the long sword at the enemy Deepground soldiers. Just what was going on?

"Cloud, go help Denzel and the others. I'll hold these guys off…"

He wanted to argue. He wanted ot fight. His blue eyes stared at her back as she faced down many enemies wishing to get in Cloud's way. He wanted to stay and fight with her, but knew that it would insult her and her intentions, no matter how dubious they were. Wasn't she tryign to kill them all in the name of 'Mother'? Sephiroth? To destroy the Planet and use it as a vessel to seek other worlds?

Hadn't she gone insane like Sephiroth?

"There's no helping it. Please go."

Reluctantly, Cloud did. As many guns began to fire and a sword longer than he was tall began slicing through machinery and flesh, he ran and did not look back, wondering if he had truly left behind a heartless soldier to fend for herself…

…or a hero whose memory would be forever tainted with the evil deeds she had committed.

Whatever her reasons, Cloud ran and ran and ran.

He would never forgive her, if Persephone died, he thought. There were too many questions left unanswered and he would wring them from her lips when this whole thing was over.

No matter that he was sure Persephone had set-up herself to die once more and he didn't think she would survive this time to appear out of nowhere once more.

The Battle of Nibelheim had been a complete victory for the W.R.O.

Denzel was wounded and many sodliers had been lost, but the trheat of Deepground was over, to be sure. Amongst his yougn ward's things, Cloud found the Lost Pride, still covered in blood. Compulsively, he cleaned it, polished it to a beautiful shine until he could see his reflection in the blade. The young man would have probably wanted to keep it as a souvenir, or bury it, but Cloud felt that it wouldn't do the sword and its former user any justice and had taken it without a word to Denzel. The middleaged man wasn't sure why he had done it, but there was a higher power at work here and he was rarely one to argue with such powers.

The night after the Battle of Nibelheim, Cloud had rode all the way out to the wastes, to pay his respect to Zack, as he always did, from time to time. Out there, the new, gleaming marker he had made from the remains of the old Buster Sword stood there, vigilant. Waiting.

Taking the Lost Pride, he returned the old Buster Sword's other half by stabbing it next to the other marker.

It felt mysteriously right, doing this.

And not just a little sad.

He gave out his thoughts a moment, to the fallen warriors, before turnign away.

He stopped short, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

"Cloud!" a joyous girl's voice cried out as arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

Instead of releif, cold, horrible dread filled his being as he held onto the other person in return, wodnerign what this meant.

**Please tell him…**_**she's**_** all right…for me.**

His hand was buried into the girl's brown hair, which was loose and missing its usual pink ribbon; his face was absolutely pale.

Oh, Gaia. What had Denzel _done_?


	28. Original Crisis: Case of Reeve

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **Original Crisis

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** This is the second to last Original Crisis side story and then we'll go back to the actual story. Which is a million times happier than the Original Crisis one. Alternate Crisis Persephone is so lucky to still have her papa and her uncles with her. To be able to grow up happy and healthy. TTATT

**Original Crisis**

_The Case of Reeve_

The W.R.O. comissioner knew it was a very long shot and the possibility of failure was incredibly high, but they had little choice in the matter, if at all. The luxury of choice often diminished the longer a situation was allowed to grow to incomprehensible heights. They were all in trouble and this Deepground problem needed to be regulated quickly, before more innocent people were hurt.

Reeve had very few people to turn to that he didn't feel guilty about dumping world saving responsibilities on. Then again, they were all too old and too well known in the world to be the least bit effective in the plan proposed by his best strategists (all Turks of the highest caliber who had no qualms about using underhanded tactics). So it was decided that they would use one of Shinra's well kept 'secrets'; one of many Rufus liked to metaphorically (and sometimes literally) keep under his coat.

"Miss Redfield…or should I say, Miss Hewley?" Reeve greeted, getting up from his seat to meet the commander at the door. This would be their first time meeting in person, but he had heard much about the talented young woman from a few of his sources (as well as a few rumor millers). It was almost _uncann_y, how much she looked like _that_ man, though the warm smile she wore was much more open and genuine than his had ever been. They shook hands and then took their seats to discuss the assignment he was to give to her, should she accept it.

No, she _had_ to accept it.

"_Redfield_, commissioner. I had my name legally changed back to my birth name for a reason, you know," she stated easily, barely batting an eyelash that he knew her 'original' last name from a time best forgotten. "The grapevine says that you need me for a special assignment. Spying on Deepground, sir?"

Reeve nodded, not surprised she knew, considering who she lived with; Turks were extremely resourceful, even in these hard times.

"Yes, although it's not just simple spying. If it was a simple reconaissance mission, anyone from our intelligence agents would have been sufficient. No, in our case…Deepground itself must be infiltrated."

"Infiltrated?"

"Indeed. Long story short, I need a mole who can get information about their movements…leaders, bases of operations – anything of use without arousing suspicion."

"And I suppose a regular intelligence agent undercover can't accomplish this?"

Reeve paused, considering what to say next. He knew what had to be said – what needed to be done, but a part of him did hesitate. "None of them exactly have the qualifications needed for this operation."

Cocking her head to the side, Persephone shot the commissioner an inquiring, imdulgent smile. "And what would they be?" she asked coyly, obviously amused by his reluctance to get to the point.

"Your genetics…rather, the J cells you carry within you."

"Ah, we finally get to the crux of the matter. I suppose this has to do with the rash of Genesis copy sightings we've been having on top of Deepground insurgents, right?" She hit the issue right on the nail as she leaned forward, smiling pleasantly all the while. This, of course, meant that the young commander knew her heritage and the sins that came with that infamous heritage. Reeve wasn't surprised she knew, but what had caught him off guard was that she knew what those creatures that had been attacking the Planet worldwide were. When asked, the young woman went into a long explanation about Genesis and his defection and what it had to do with her as a whole, which left the comissioner gobsmacked in the end.

The biggest surprise was that Persephone was…

Well, either the plan would go off perfectly or they would end up with another Jenova War on their hands and Reeve wasn't sure the world could endure another Meteor or Sephiroth or other world ending crisis in the same century.

But she assured him, that all will be well.

"This…I feel like this is my fault somehow, so I will be sure to fix it. The things we've lost…money…that can be replaced, if you work for it. People…you can't replace people," she said, a subtle, quiet sadness in her voice. "I'll take this assignment. As long as you listen to a few of my requests in return."

"Requests?"

"This is, more or less, a suicide mission. You know it. I know. Mister Shinra knows it, too. If anyone from Deepground finds out my real loyalties, I'll be dead before anything can be changed or helped. So I have a few demands to make before this is official."

So, she would take it, but at what costs?

"Don't make such a face, commissioner, I'm not going to ask for the moon," she said wryly, with an amused shake of her head. "Just things I'll be needing for this mission."

Clearing his throat, Reeve listened once more to Persephone as she listed her demands.

Which weren't very unreasonable, but they weren't something they could drum up right away.

"I suggest you get them ready as soon as possible. The faster you do, the faster this whole mess will be over and we can all get back to our lives."

Reeve nodded, agreeing with her, though how she expected him to find underground shelters was anoher matter altogether. Unless, of course…ah! The abandonned underwater Mako facility near Junon! Those could be quickly cleaned and renovated enough for Persephone's demands. Now the question was…why? What would Persephone gain from having such a large area made into a large scale shelter?

Cerulean eyes stared at her gloved covered fingers, as if excamining her nails, ever so nonchalantly. Smiling, she announced, "It's because I'm going to be needing to 'kill', no…'_massacre_' a lot of people and where else could I possibly 'dump' that many 'bodies' without anyone being the wiser?"

She wasn't seriously considering…

"Commissioner, if I want a bunch of psychopaths to believe I'm one of them, I'm going to have to pull the biggest genocide this Planet has ever seen next to the purge made by Deepground nine years ago," explained the dark haired woman, "and I would prefer doing it without shedding a single drop of blood. Fool your friends, fool your enemies sort of thing, dear commissioner. There'll be a lot of property damage, but as I said…people aren't nearly as easy to replace as homes and the like."

"And if you're caught, commander?"

Persephone shrugged, as if the prospect of death didn't really scare her. "Well, then, better me than thousands of innocent civilians, don't you think, Comissioner Tuetsi?"

Once gain, the young commander had a point, but he, too, wished to end this with as little bloodshed as possible. But what was she planning on a whole?

"Well, infiltration of their ranks is obvious, gain their trust by any means possible…use my genetics to get in by a twisted version of nepotism…feed you lot information I manage to dig up and blow up a few innocent villages along the way in my madness over the loss of my father dearest. Or mother dearest. The media didn't exactly cover the whole story about Sephiroth's madness, after Meteor was stopped…" Persephone shrugged, pausing a moment.

"Oh, there's one more thing…"

"One more thing?"

"Yes, there's this soldier in the W.R.O. by the name of Denzel Strife…"


	29. Original Crisis: Case of Veld

**Title:** Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as the unwitting uncles.

**Rated:** K+

**Prompt: **Original Crisis

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Crisis Core. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** This is the final part of the Original Crisis side story. I'm sorry for how depressing it is, but there is a reason for all of it.

**Original Crisis**

_The Case of Veld_

"Is she still in the bathroom?"

"Yeah…she hasn't stopped looking at_ it_ since she saw it this morning…"

"It's not the first time."

"It's never been her entire head, either."

Veld, ex-leader of the Turks, sighed and stood up, going to go see his ward, one Persephone Redfield, formerly Persephone Hewley adopted daughter of Commander Angeal Hewley, long since dead. It was a nice summer's day in New Banora, which was set next to a small waterfall west of Kalm. A good a place as any to settle and it often reminded the man of what his old hometown used to be like, before he burned it down to the ground.

Their home was a two floor house with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and two bathrooms, because Veld knew the virtue in having a bathroom for himself separate from the females. It was quaint and even had a garden, which was carefully cultivated by Persephone, with her favourites being tiny little white daffodils. There was always a flower in her hair, the old man noted, but it didn't come from her own garden, but rather, from one that no longer existed. However, the bloom – against all logic – was fresh as the day it was picked.

The flower was on the bathroom countertop, Persephone's hands gripping each corner as she stared intently into the mirror, worrying her lip. A bad habit from her childhood Veld hadn't managed to stamp out entirely; the girl thought he hadn't noticed her biting her lips from time to time. She was a good actress when she was in front of others, no doubt acting cool and pleasant and unflappable, but not in front of him.

She did not turn to greet him and Veld watched impassively (secretly worried) as a lock of long silver hair fell over her shoulder into the sink. Even though her head was bent and he barely saw his ward's profile, even this old man could see the startling resemblance between Persephone and the father she never got to know before he went insane.

"It doesn't mean anything," stated Veld.

"It means _everything_, Mister Veld," she countered, finally looking up at him. Her eyes were the same – that bright shade of ocean blue that always seemed green at first glance. A trick of the light, he told himself. They were bluer – as blue as the sky – once upon a time, but time and age had slowly changed the orphan girl he had taken in. Changed her too much, in fact.

"I don't have much time left, Mister Veld," she said out of the blue.

"I know."

He did not know how to comfort this stranger in his house, whose hair was white and whose eyes resembled a cat's. But he knew her by the same token and yet he still didn't quite know how to ease the pain for Persephone. It hadn't been easy with Elfé, trying to help her after the whole business with AVALANCH, Zirconiade and Fuhito, make sure she coped. In fact, when Tseng had brought little, barely nine year old to their safe house outside of Kalm, Persephone had become the balm to Felicia's soul that he couldn't. Veld's house was full of strangers, it seemed.

But it didn't mean he didn't try to help or to keep their dysfunctional family together. He just didn't know the two women living with him as much as he liked, however

"How many years has it been now, Mister Veld? Since you first took me in?" she asked, standing up straight. She picked up a small box she had placed on the counter and opened it. Bottles of dye were removed from within and placed carefully in a row in front of her. Veld doubted there was enough to cover the young woman's waist length hair.

"Sixteen have already come and gone, Persephone," replied Veld.

"That long, huh?"

"And I raised you with the best of intentions."

"That you did...you and Felicia. And I can't thank you both enough for what you've done."

As she was brushing her hair with her fingers, dividing the strands up into sections, Veld caught some of that pale, silky hair between his own fingers. It was just hair; the color would be something anyone could achieve by living long enough. It shouldn't bother her so much – silver hair suited her snowy, soft features.

"Twenty-five."

Persephone never did speak in full sentences when she was like this. He always had to ask her what she meant.

"Twenty-five what?"

"Years. I'll be twenty-five this year…the same age they…all went mad."

Veld had no idea what to say to that.

"He started work today."

"He 'who'?"

"Denzel."

Ah, yes. The boy living with Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart in Edge, alongside another child. They should be quite grown at this point, but still very much children all the same. His charge had also been that boy's caretaker for a time, before the first lock of silver hair appeared. At sixteen, Persephone should have been too young to show any signs of aging (or degradation), but one day she woke up with silvery strands of hair decorating her head and just could not cope with what that had meant for her.

Denzel and Marlene had been important to her – more than just a job or a passing fancy. Being unable to care for them in any capacity had broken her heart, but she got over it eventually. What she couldn't quite get over was the sudden surge of black that started growing on her left arm and Persephone had been present during the Great Gospel that rained down on everyone, curing people of their Geostigma. It touched her skin and she enjoyed it. She had returned home feeling rejuvenated and happy.

And then everything went wrong for her once more.

More than once in the last eight years, Veld had often heard Persephone whisper 'does he hate me that much?' There were very few people the girl could have been talking about and none of them pleasant candidates, in these circumstances.

"He looked so dashing in his uniform. Easily the most adorable of all the new recruits."

Veld raised an eyebrow at that statement, finding it exceedingly curious. There were few exceptions here and there, but Persephone never showed any interest in anyone 'dashing' in such a manner, unless she was truly interested. Felicia had made sure the girl figured out her feelings were fleeting rather than anything serious in the past, but now that she was grown up, wiser, more cautious….what would she do if someone really mattered to her?

Gushing as she was, while trying to dye her ridiculously long hair, Veld ended up finding out more about Denzel than he'd care to know at all. Knowing he had a mole on his back was borderline creepy, but something she would know as someone who babysat the Strife boy as a child.

"Maybe you love him," Veld commented offhandedly, jokingly, which caught Persephone off guard. The brush she had been using on her hair slipped from her grasp, falling to the tiled floor of the bathroom with a clatter. Persephone's eyes were wide, shocked. It took Veld a moment to realize that he may have hit the nail on the head with this one.

After a moment of staring at one another, the woman moved first. Chuckling, she bent down and retrieved the brush. She carefully cleaned it off under a spray of water from the tap. A delicate fond smile entered Persephone's lips.

"Maybe."

A pause.

"But it wouldn't work out." Persephone shrugged and continued dying her hair. "But as long as he's happy, I'm happy, too."

Famous last words, thought Veld. The last person who said that wound up inside a coffin.

Later that day, they went to pay a visit to the Ancient's church in the ruins of Midgar, as they often did each week. There was always a hope that the waters within that church would help Persephone, but the stigma seemed to become worse each time the water touched her skin. Felicia would not voice a disappointment, choosing instead to kick an upended pew; Veld said and did nothing, years of working as a Turk able to help him from showing his frustrations in front of his ward, who would only needlessly worry for them instead of herself. Stupid, sentimental, martyr of a girl.

After another painful failed attempt, Persephone closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in prayer. She never whispered or said what she was praying for, but the young woman did this without fail every single time they visited the church.

But today seemed to be a different day.

"I'm wishing for everyone's happiness. That's all I want."

Her back was to them, hands together behind her. Looking up, Persephone's gaze fell onto a section of the roof that was still intact, smiling all the while at some distant, fond memory. Felicia hovered nearby, watching her 'younger sister' attentively. In turn, Veld watched the two of them together, sighing quietly to himself. What an idealistic wish, he thought. A foolish, idealistic wish that could never be fulfilled.

But if it was her wish, who was he to stop her from wishing for it? However, a dream of peace like this could not be achieved through wishing alone. It was one that had to be worked for, fought for and no one knew this better than Veld, who had fought, scratched and clawed for the life he had now with both Felicia and Persephone.

"Persephone…there's some news of a special assignment in the W.R.O. that might interest you…"

It was a difficult, suicidal mission – one that had a very small margin for failure. One wrong step and everything the W.R.O. had worked for would be in vain, but it was better to take a chance, than to do nothing at all. Regret happens when you do nothing and with the little time she had left, it was better not to regret anything at all. Even if it seemed like Veld was sending the girl off to her death, it was because he knew that she knew where she stood in the grand scheme of things.

Most importantly of all, it was because he cared, in his own way. Veld could only do so much in raising her, but she was a grown woman now and could make her own decisions. She had already decided long ago not to be affected by her past anymore…what she did now, when the end was so near was up to her.

Persephone sighed and turned around to smile at him.

"Well, then. Who am I to refuse a chance to help?"

From then on out, Persephone became a double agent for the W.R.O. With the help of Veld and his Turks (the ones who didn't report directly to Rufus, anyways) the young woman was able to pull off many missions, while causing the smallest amount of casualties. And simultaneously being the most hated woman in the entire world. Persephone had wasted no time in letting the world know how cruel a woman she was, how insane and heartless she had become because of all the 'traitors' that lived in the world. She would cleanse them, she had announced. Quite quickly, she became a leader in Deepground and the only thing keeping her going truly mad was the support of Felicia and the thought of Denzel of all people.

Her Geostigma was also spreading further along her body.

"It hurts, but I can still move…still fight. I'll be all right," she had said once when they were evacuating yet another village that she was meant to 'purge'.

Long before an operation began to cleanse a town or village of the impure – because Deepground was intent on finishing what their leader had started – Persephone would alert Veld and his Turks, which would begin a mass evacuation before the young commander went postal on it. She made sure to burn everything down until the only thing left was ashes, ashes and more ashes. It was a good plan, but it wouldn't fool her 'comrades' for long, but she kept at it.

"As long as no one suspects my loyalties everything should be fine."

Of course, Fate never seemed to be kind to Persephone when an old acquaintance was in one of the villages she was meant to destroy. And that was when it went all downhill.

Marlene Wallace was an important person in that she was related to an important person – the mayor or New Corel and a hero of the Jenova War, Barret Wallace would not have sit down knowing his child was in trouble. Not to mention everyone else close to her as well. It was a perfect set-up. The most terribly ingenious, awful, insane plan had been hatched to cement her favor amongst those of Deepground.

Persephone faked Marlene's death.

The girl, of course, refused to go along with it and Felicia strongly opposed the idea. If she did this, Cloud and the rest of his crew would stop at nothing to get back at her, if they weren't already bent on stopping her already.

The dark-haired woman just smiled sadly at the two 'sisters' she never had and pulled the pink ribbon out of Marlene's hair.

"I won't stop until this is all over and done with," was what she said quietly, with firm resolution.

It became too dangerous for her to make contact after she met Cloud and the others at the burnt ruins of the village near Fort Condor. Veld had been watching from afar, this confrontation. It was like watching the most brilliant bit of acting the theatrical world had ever seen. The heroes arriving on the scene to meet the villain, who stood atop a piece of what once was a statue of an angel; one of its wings were missing, the other remaining and was outstretched.

Persephone spoke to them coldly as they demanded to know what happened, demanded to know what happened to their precious Marlene. Insults were thrown and the villain stood there, aloof and cold, though Veld could spot just the barest of flinches. Their words hurt, but the charade continued.

A smirk, so dark and familiar entered the woman's lips as she reached out with a fist. The heroes tensed, expecting some sort of attack.

Her fingers simply uncurled, releasing an object that floated down, down, down…

Cloud's eyes widened.

Denzel, who was there with a group of W.R.O. soldiers, went pale.

Tifa Lockhart covered her mouth as she strangled back a sob.

All eyes were forward, transfixed on the pink ribbon splattered in blood (not Marlene's, but from an animal Persephone had slain) as it fell to the ground limply.

Once the ribbon touched the dirt, weapons went swinging.

Knowing her purpose and knowing that the price of peace was always going to be high, Persephone fought with them and survived to do battle and to feed the W.R.O. information another day. It had become a lot more difficult for the ex-commander to continue using her evacuation and demolition plan without arousing anger and battles from the original members of AVALANCH, but now those of Deepground had no reason to mistrust her and all sorts of information became available to her.

Like where the main stronghold was, its defenses and weaknesses. The W.R.O. was finally able to wipe out the very last of the Planet's enemies, was the price of peace and freedom was always high.

In the end, Felicia was the one to find Persephone first. There were many dead bodies surrounding the fallen body of the ex-commander and she was carefully excavated from the pile-up.

Of course, at this point, it was much too late.

When Veld had arrived, his daughter was cradling his ward's body close as she slowly began to pass away. He stood at a distance, along with the Turks who had accompanied him to the Battle of Nibelheim. There were words being exchanged between both of the woman, with the ex-leader of AVALANCH begging for Persephone to hold on just a bit longer. It was the most emotional he had ever seen his daughter since before the fire that first destroyed his family many years ago.

"Please don't blame Denzel," were her last words before Persephone closed her eyes and never opened them again. She was smiling serenely, snuggled close to Felicia, eyes closed as if in sleep.

Well then, may the poor, unfortunate, unlucky thing find peace in the afterlife, however, even for Veld it would become hard for him not to forgive the person who had pushed her to her death all too soon. After all, daughter or no, the old man had raised Persephone these last seventeen years and she was family to him. Her death could not be avenged and should not be avenged, because that would disrespect his memory of her, the one who wished for the happiness of those she held dear. However, he would deny one person all the happiness in the world, because he had been too ignorant of the truth.

At the very least, Persephone had not died alone.

The people who had been put into hiding in the underwater mako facility were brought back to the surface, although many wished to stay in the makeshift underwater 'town' that had been made for them. It became a new city under the direct protection of the W.R.O. Veld had mixed feelings about it being named 'Persephone', in honor of the woman who risked life and limb to keep everyone safe. Marlene was taken directly to Cloud and Denzel, who had twin pale faces when met with the girl. It was quite obvious they found out what had really transpired and seeing the girl only confirmed it. It was cruel, Veld knew, shocking them like this, but it would have come out eventually when all the 'dead' had returned to life.

Veld left the Strife family behind in Seventh Heaven, feeling emptier than when he had entered. This act of cruelty towards them had been a very hollow victory.

At the very end, Veld found himself standing in front of the 'memorial' erected for Persephone – her personal sword standing right next to another marker, all the way out in the wastes. The two weapons gleamed in the midday light next to one another. Tears prickled at Veld's eyes as the regret of actions never done and words never said crept up on him once more.

It was rare for him to cry – the last time he showed any grief was when his wife had died, and he thought his daughter along with her. He mourned them greatly and still did, because though his daughter was back, she was still a stranger to him and the woman who had died for the Planet was stranger still. He wished he could have gotten to know her a bit more.

He touched the hilt of Lost Pride, stroking it as if he would a cheek.

"I hope you got your wish," he spoke to the air as a wind picked up. It caressed his careworn face and ruffling up his suit. After a few more moments of mourning, he turned around, walking away. The wind blew a snow white feather across his cheek – like the whisper of a kiss – and his eyes trailed after it as it floated up into the sky.

And if he strained his ears a bit, he might have heard something in the breeze, like a voice. But it was just a lonely wind out in the middle of the wastes and he paid it no mind, heading home to New Banora and Felicia to live out the rest of his life.


	30. Friends

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honorable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **T

**Prompt:** Sacrifice

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. If I did certain people would still be alive. And with happy families with lots of babies and maybe a dog. Named Zack.

**Author's Note**: A quick trip back to happy fluff time. TTATT I am sincerely sorry for depressing anyone with Original Crisis. It's supposed to be depressing as almighty hell.

**019. Friends**

"_A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same."_

Angeal was very chagrined to find that his one and only daughter mainly had boys for friends and very few female friends.

It was his fault, really. Ever since taking her in, the only women the little girl was exposed to were the secretaries from the varying departments of Shinra and even then, they did not speak for long with Persephone. Raised by a single father and surrounded by men, it wasn't any wonder that Persephone chose to be surrounded by boys as well. She was too young, of course, to be thinking of boys in that way, but it rankled a lot knowing there were so many so close to her. It was a father's duty to protect his daughter from unwanted advances after all, never mind they were all first graders.

It was probably why Angeal went the extra mile to make sure to instil something akin lady-like tendencies within his daughter. What he did know he had learnt from stories, movies and from watching his own mother (and Genesis' as well, but Tempest was much too temperamental to be even considered as a role model for an impressionable six year old, _wonderful_ woman that she was). What made up 'lady-like tendencies' in the SOLDIER's mind was the gentle mannerisms of a Southern belle, mixed with the politeness of a girl raised in a high class family with the sweetness of a girl born in the country.

Yes, he realized this was a bit too idealistic on his part, but you couldn't blame the man for trying.

Persephone was a wonderful girl, but he wished she was less the way she was now, which was being as tough as a tomboy from southern Mideel, guileless and clinical as a child raised by a pair of Midgar scientists and having the practicality that came from being born in the middle of a war zone. Perhaps lady-like was too much of a stretch for what he wanted.

Angeal wanted his girl to have a happy life filled with joy surrounded by family and friends like a normal girl.

Things were so much less complicated when it was just Angeal and Zack.

As it was, Angeal was worried Persephone's school friends would corrupt her - as if they _hadn't_ already - but maybe he should see it as a sort of good thing. She smiled a lot more now, laughed a lot more. She was playful and opinionated and so very _curious_. Had it only been a few scant months since he had decided to adopt that wild, troublesome, reticent 'boy'?

Well, maybe the problem wasn't Zidane and Bartz (who always knew how to make their female friend smile or laugh) or even Squall (taciturn as he was, the boy was always there for Persephone at school as her pillar of support), but maybe, perhaps, he was contesting against Persephone's 'Prince Charming'. Angeal had only met him once - barely even spoke to him - but he instantly took a disliking to the boy without any discernable reason _why_.

It was mid-October now, making it a month since Persephone started school. Every evening during the week Angeal would drive to Shinra Elementary to pick up Persephone, spotting her amongst friends who also had to stay in the afterschool daycare. She would pout and ask to stay longer and he would firmly tell her that it was time to head on home and that she had school the next day anyways. This was how Angeal first met Hayden, the middle schooler who saved Persephone from a nasty fall on her first day of school. His little lady never stopped telling the story of how she was rescued, the tale becoming more romanticized every time she told it, so as any good father would, he became curious about the boy who had saved his daughter and became a permanent friend, it would seem.

Hayden Alexander Wesker was from a family of good standing, the heir to a pharmaceutical company based in Modeoheim; he was quite an intelligent boy of ten and was already a few grades ahead, because of his intellect. Hayden was friendly, polite and adored being around Persephone.

Angeal didn't like him. There was something off about the boy, though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly...

"Good morning Angeal," greeted Genesis as he strolled into his friend's office, Loveless on hand as per usual. The ginger-haired man also had a knapsack with him, which looked too old and beaten up to be anything that he owned. Genesis always had the best of everything, ranging from a bright red sports car to the best imported Banora Whites on the market. So why the bag?

"Morning, Gen," replied the stressed SOLDIER. "How are you?"

Genesis hummed a bit. "Feeling slightly nostalgic. Do you remember this bag?"

"Not really. Is it yours?"

"I am affronted, Angeal. By your belief that I would own such an atrocity and by how you don't remember it. Getting forgetful in your old age, father dearest?" teased the red-head, who smirked a bit at his friend's confusion. Rolling his eyes, he placed the old sack in front of Angeal so he could inspect it himself. "It's your old bag from that time, remember?"

"That time?"

"From when we first met."

Angeal stared. "Really?"

Looking at the old thing, Angeal barely recalled ever owning a bag like this - it was pretty non-descript as fair as sacks went. It was a tie up sort of affair made of sturdy canvas and a lot of patches; it had clearly seen better days. He also didn't quite remember how it ended up in Genesis' hands, either. How had met again? It was such a long time ago, that Angeal had assumed they had been friends forever. Maybe he was getting old, since he could forget such an important day. Or maybe it had been so traumatizing, Angeal had blocked the memory out. This was Genesis they were talking about. A grown up Genesis was already temperamental - a child Genesis was liable to burn down a house in a tantrum - he almost did just that when they were eleven, too. Thank Minerva Tempest was more impressed than mad about her house almost becoming charcoal.

Angeal touched the rough material of the sack, trying to recall that time long ago, when he and Genesis were little. It certainly felt like something he would have owned as a child, back in Banora. As far as things went, he was sure the bag had seen better days and would have looked only less beaten up when he would have owned. Angeal's things were mostly hand-me-downs and bought used from flea market the next town over. His fingers found a small tag and he flipped it over to see the name written there.

_Michael Hewley._

Michael Hewley. His father. This was his _father's_ rucksack. How did...?

"It was a very long time ago, I barely remember it. I had just moved to Banora after receiving several treatments from Doctor Hollander," began Genesis, using his storytelling voice to regale Angeal of memories past.

Angeal vaguely recalled something like this. Genesis hadn't always been so strong or healthy and during the early years of their friendship, Angeal had to tread carefully with his friend, lest something set him off on a bad fit. The first time he witnessed the other boy having a seizure had been one of the most terrifying things he had seen – only Persephone's one minute death by pneumonia had been able to top that memory off as the worst.

"No one really liked you," Angeal stated, looking over his documents again for a request for equipment, yet again. This war they were having with Wutai was really wasteful, with letters of request coming in every other day. Either no one knew how to conserve ammo and supplies, or they were losing very badly, which couldn't be the case, because all the officers would have heard of it by now and sent in more troops as a result. As if they had any to spare...

"You were the odd kid out, as I recall."

Genesis hummed an agreement, pulling up a chair to the desk. "T'was a sad, sad, sad reality Angeal. I had to work hard for my fame, you know. But I always get what I want, in the end. Anyways...it was a long time ago, when we were wee little lads, barely up to your esteemed mother's knee. I had wanted to make friends with the local boys, but they all called me a city slicker and told me to go back to Midgar, which I found really offensive. So did mother, apparently."

A snort came from the dark-haired SOLDIER. Tempest Rhapsodos finding something offensive would be putting it lightly. Now that they were strolling down memory lane, Angeal did remember seeing the woman coming down the road to the manor, shaking her fist and hurling fireballs. He had made himself scarce back then, running for the hills, literally.

"I tried many times, but to no avail. However, a ray of hope appeared to me in the form of a dare all the young people of Banora like to partake in. And that was to go into the mines and bring back a souvenir…but not just any souvenir, oh, no. I had to find the Gift of the Goddess."

Despite its connotations to Loveless, the Gift of the Goddess was also another name for the mineral ore, Mythril, which the small mines were rich in. According to an old story, the goddess Minerva gave this ore a hero to use in order to create an armor that could withstand any attack. It was because of this tale that the metal was known as 'the Gift of the Goddess'. A lot of the kids had been daring each other to go and get some of the metal before they were caught by the adults. Angeal himself had never managed to get a piece of the ore himself.

"You tried, didn't you?" Angeal asked, eyes intent on the lumpy bag. There was something inside of it.

"And you came after me, because of that," Genesis replied, smirking. "I went in and didn't come out for a while. I had gotten lost inside of the mines and had no idea how to find the way back…it didn't help that I had fallen down a shaft, either."

The dark-haired SOLDIER nodded, now starting to remember everything. It had been sundown; there was very little light outside and even less within the mine. However, he was surprised to find that the walls glowed the further in he went. Was it a manifestation of the Lifestream? Or just natural phosphorous? Either way, it allowed his younger self to figure out a trail in case he needed a fast way out. Angeal had snuck out of his home, his father's sack on his back and filled with only a few things a young boy his age would even think to carry. Rope and some sour apples. He completely forgot to bring a flashlight with him, but so worried was Angeal about the new kid in town that he hadn't thought about it. It was long ago, he was young and quite ignorant about the ways of the world, but he believed he could save Genesis.

He ended up falling onto a ledge right above Genesis back then. Some hero, huh?

"You weren't much of a help, either. Not at first."

Angeal scoffed. "Gee, thanks. Now where does this bag come in?"

"In a minute…Let's see…we both fell down that shaft, but you were higher above me. The walls around me were too slick for me to climb, so you let down a rope for me and hoisted me up onto the ledge you were on. It didn't help much, but at least I wasn't alone by then. You complained about me being really heavy and I said you were just weak."

"I remember. I almost dropped you then."

"I suppose honour and pride didn't exist back then."

"I was a small kid, Gen."

The redhead waved his hand dismissively at this. "Excuses, excuses. Anyways, by the time you pulled me up I was completely shirtless. I had taken it off to wrap it around something I had found in the mine shaft."

A dark brow was raised. "You found the ore?" Angeal didn't remember that part. In fact, he distinctly remembered Genesis coming back empty handed. All he had was a bunched up shirt, which had…been stuffed into his father's bag!

Smirking when Angeal realized what had transpired, Genesis moved on with his story.

"I refused to put my shirt back on, because it was filthy. Plus I had something special with me that I didn't want you to see just yet, even though it would have proved I wasn't just some city slicker. And since I was being so stubborn you said I could borrow your bag, but I had to return it, since it was important to you."

Yes, that was what had happened. Stubborn until the end, as always that Genesis and since he wanted to be catching cold, the least Angeal could have done was provide something for the other boy so his hands could be free. They tried to escape the shaft together, but the walls proved slick and no matter how many times Angeal had tried to lasso something at the top, it wouldn't grasp or it was just too short to reach anything solid. They were stuck, which meant they only had each other for company.

"It was a scary time, you know," admitted Genesis. "I was in a strange town stuck inside a strange cave with a strange kid who barely knew me. I…I ended up admiring that boy who saved me, even though I had pretty much given up. But…you never did Angeal…not on living…not on us…not on me. And it's stuck with me all these years…"

Angeal a bit struck by this. This was the first time Genesis had openly talked about their friendship in such a manner. Usually they simply acknowledged its existence as something that was just there. They had been friends for nearly forever and it didn't seem like it would stop. Genesis came round his home more often, after the incident. Their parents eventually found them in the mine and pulled them out. It had been morning by the time they were rescued and Angeal and Genesis had exchanged quite a few personal stories and details about each other as they worked to get out together. Being kids, they tuckered out easily; they woke-up outside in the morning with their mothers and father's hovering over them.

Boy, had Tempest been mad. The woman was all kinds of scary and ranted and railed at them for doing something so stupid and dangerous before flinging herself at her son, crying her eyes out about almost losing her baby. He was swiftly whisked away back to their house on the hill, taking the bag along with him…

"You're late," Angeal said with a shake of his head. Many years too late, in fact. Although his father never questioned where his bag had gone, Angeal always worried about never getting it back or always forgetting to have it returned to him. The worst part was that whenever they went out together, Genesis carried it with him, too, carrying something he never quite showed to Angeal…

"So, did you ever find the Gift of the Goddess?"

Genesis smirked. "I did. And I shared it with you all these years."

Confusion colored the burly SOLDIER's face as the bag was untied and opened up. The sack was upturned and out tumbled old, youth size equipment. All made out of Mythril. And in pairs. All things he recognized as equipment belonging to himself and Genesis, back when they were SOLDIER cadets. The redhead had presented some to him, saying that he deserved to use something new and strong instead of something old and used up. No matter how much Angeal humbly refused, Genesis insisted on them, which led to Angeal accepting the gifts. Back then Angeal didn't know much about metal and swords and how they were made, so until he was older and needed better armor, he had no idea that he had been sporting Mythril armor.

And now that he knew…he was very much touched by Genesis' thoughtfulness.

"You used the Mythril you found to make us armor," Angeal stated.

"Nothing, but the best for me, And that means you, too. I'm your friend…ever since you tried to save me back then. I value your friendship a lot, Angeal, even if I don't say it much."

"You're saying it now."

"Don't ruin the moment, Angeal."

The dark-haired First chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a very good friend, Genesis."

"I'd like to think so," replied Genesis, cheekily. "Who would have thought we'd end up friends because of that incident."

The two shared a few laughs over this, basking in their bond and the past that came with it. They looked through their old stuff, marvelling at how small they used to be. Genesis was particularly amused at how scrawny Angeal had been for a supposed country boy; he had definitely filled out more when he joined Shinra. Friends were to be cherished, like extended members of a family that you got to pick and choose yourself. Angeal had made up his own family with his two hands, working hard to keep them all together and to make them just work as a whole. Sometimes the choices made weren't always the best, but you made the decision yourself and should live by them no matter what. Family was important and so were friends. And having a good lifelong friend was something everyone had to experience.

This stroll down memory lane made Angeal think about his thoughts earlier concerning Persephone and her own ragtag group of misfits she hung around. Everyone deserved to have friends and if you could find someone to spend forever with as your best friend, well, shouldn't that be encouraged? Denying someone friendship, loyalty and love is inhuman and wrong and Angeal realized that if he felt too protective of his daughter, she would be emotionally stunted because of his own selfish worries.

"Thinking about something, Angeal?"

"Just about the future."

"Ah. Persephone again, I see."

Angeal raised an eyebrow at his friend. "And how exactly do you know that?"

"Please. Angeal I've been your friend since forever, if I didn't know what you were thinking I'd be an awful friend, wouldn't I?"

Couldn't argue with that logic.

"Is it about that Hayden boy?"

"Gen?"

"Yes?"

"Stop reading my mind and go read Loveless."

Ah, friends. Can't live with them, can't live without them.


	31. Special: Seven Quickies

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **K

**Prompt:** Special, 7 quick prompts I picked from a list.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. Nothing from Crisis Core. Just little Persephone.

**Author's Note:** Just a quickie to let you guys know I'm not abandoning this fanfic!

**Special:**_Seven Quickies_

**1. Mouse**

A scream ripped through the normally silent apartment complex, waking every single resident within, due to nearly every man inside possessing uncanny hearing. Moon barely even starting to make its descent to allow its brighter sister to rise, the officers living in the apartment wondered if they were under sudden enemy attack. Whilst most awoken would wonder what had occurred eventually would allow themselves back into slumber's seductive embrace, the few elite remained awake to investigate. They, the chosen few, were Genesis and Sephiroth. SOLDIER First class, impressive swordsmen, rivals, and uncles...they approached the source of the scream...to find it coming from Angeal's apartment. The shrill shriek from _Angeal_ himself.

All three men stood in the living room together, in differing levels of dishevelment with Angeal looking the most hysterical, Sephiroth the most tangled of hair and Genesis lacking any pants amongst many other things. The men were armed with homely implements meant for house chores, holding them in a fashion reminiscent to how they normally wielded their blades. Angeal with his ironing board, Genesis with a feather duster and Sephiroth with a broom – their explanations later on involved them grabbing the first thing they could find.

Right in the middle of the living room, looking at her family with wide blue eyes as they surrounded her was little Persephone, holding the tail of the offending little monster that had had Angeal in such an uproar.

She named it Joey.

**2. Bar**

Having imagined his first child being male, Angeal had prepared himself to teach his future son swordsmanship, however, fate had placed a precious daughter upon his lap and – maybe – one day he would teach her the way of the blade...he would rather Persephone take up a different weapon at first. So when she turn ten and expressed an interest in the self-defence classes her school offered, the man was all for it. A girl should never be defenceless, in his opinion. And there was something charming in his daughter's enthusiasm in martial arts.

Genesis would have begged to differ.

Especially upon wanting to show off a new skill to her favoured uncle, she had unintentionally whacked him right in the family jewels with her recently acquired bo staff. The crimson clad poet had fallen to the side, clutching himself in such great agony that even Sephiroth felt a phantom stab of sympathy pain.

Needless to say, Persephone was not allowed to have any bars, rods, staves or even a broom on hand, while her eldest uncle was about.

**3. Chocolate**

Persephone was not so fond of sweets, Angeal had found, which was a bit of a disappointment. It meant less baking, less merry-making and a lot less sugar going into his little girl.

...Come to think of it, he could probably live without her gorging herself on too many sweets. Nevertheless, most young children should enjoy a treat every now and again and he could hardly think those tasteless rice crackers were any good! But the child truly had no eye for candies or baked goods, so Angeal half-heartedly only made half a dozen cookies, or just a pittance worth of brownies or cake. Until Zack found out her secret, guilty pleasure.

Angeal did not count dark chocolate on the list of sugary delights, but it was chocolate and technically candy...a very bitter, very strong tasting...candy bar. Zack had been given a box of assorted chocolates – **no peanuts** – as a gift from his own fan club and he'd allowed Seffie to try one, her fingers wrapping around a dark one skeptically. And when she ate it, the child had fallen in love with dark chocolate, which appalled Angeal as much as it lifted his spirits.

His recipes didn't really call for seventy percent cacao at any time at all, however, Angeal found himself baking more and more with the bitter ingredient found amongst the things he'd make. And that was fine, because it meant that he was just a bit closer to his surrogate daughter.

**4. Date**

Any father with a daughter out there could tell you that they dreaded the day their daughter would bring a man home. Unfortunately, this happened sooner rather than later...and she brought home not just one, but _three_. On the plus side, she was only seven and the boys were likewise, being as they were all in second grade. Still, having rambunctious boys come over was one of the last things he wanted one week in July.

Especially with how Persephone had put it.

A 'date', she had old him. A date with her friends.

One year of schooling and she was still saying some things wrong. He hoped she meant 'play date', for if the girl child meant the other word, his mind would cease to function properly.

**5. Meat**

"What is that?"

"What is...this?"

"What...I don't...Genesis...what did you do to the roast beef?"

Sniffing lightly as the offended ginger crossed his arms, Genesis glared as imperiously as possible at everyone assembled at his dinner table. Honestly, some guests they were! He graciously invited them to his home for an evening repast and this was how they treated his finely cooked meal?

"I roasted it, of course," Genesis replied stiffly.

Persephone tentatively poked the side of the roast as Angeal and Sephiroth comically watched. The minute her utensil broke through the thick and dark hide of the roast...said roast crumbled to dust. Poof! Gone.

Angeal sighed. He rubbed his face with his hand as Sephiroth continued to stare at the pile of ash that had been left over with Persephone and Genesis just stood still, arms still cross and expression just as haughty.

Another heavy sigh left the burly SOLDIER's lips.

"Genesis, go read Loveless. I'll go order us some Nibel Chalet."

**6. Jewel**

It shone beautifully from where it hung from a choker around her neck, catching the light and simply shimmering proudly. It was a gift, though technically a re-gift to her. All three men had thought it fitting for the girl's sixteenth birthday – ten years had come and gone since the SOLDIERs had first met the half-Wutai child who had fallen into their collective lap – and there was not much that she would want or ask for.

She loved it and accepted the gift with all the grace of a lady.

The gift that had been presented to them years before, had returned itself to the goddess, in a manner of speaking.

At least once a day, Persephone would finger the glowing orb, getting a feel for the power sealed within and the warmth it emitted. Ten years prior, a little girl had presented simple basic materia to a general in SOLDIER, pleading with him to use it to protect her loved ones because she could not herself. But now, almost a grown-up, she would have the ability to do it on her own.

It had been the perfect gift and no diamond or any gem in existence could compare to it.

**7. Truth**

He had always known, in a way, that she had been his the moment he'd laid eyes on her.

Over the years as Persephone blossomed into a beautiful young woman, the likes that had her father's hands busy beating down suitors and Genesis hissing at women who would only speak slander...Sephiroth knew and that sense of knowing seemed to grow and grow more. How many times had he seen that chin in the mirror, in his own reflection? The slight way her smile – so much brighter and lively compared to his own – held a tiny bit of irony in it, was much like his own. The shape of her face, long and elegant...and yet tempered with enough difference to keep him from truly acknowledging such an idea that Persephone could possibly be...

But then, as time went on, their bond growing...their games of hide and seek were becoming altogether too quick and monotonous, weren't they? Or sometimes, entirely too drawn out in a way that they would dip, duck and dodge each other, all too aware of the other's presence.

His child.

Sephiroth always smiled wistfully at that thought.

He stood by what he had told Angeal before: he was not meant to be a father. He was not _fit_ for the role.

However, he was _happy_. That was something he would not hide; until the day he died, he could not ever, ever be the father...but he would let the world know that Persephone would forever be his pride and joy.

And a dream he never thought would be possible.


	32. Sacrifice - Part A

**Title: **Three SOLDIERs and a Lady

**Author: **CrisisChild

**Summary: **AU Angeal always considered himself to be quite responsible and honourable and his mettle is put to the test when an unexpected turn of events leaves him a father. And Genesis and Sephiroth as unwitting 'uncles'.

**Rated: **T, character death, some violence

**Prompt:** Sacrifice

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of the Final Fantasy series. Crisis Core or Dissidia.

**Author's Note: **Yet another Dissidia-filled chapter. And the reason for the existence of the AU side stories involving Persephone as she would have been, had she lived through all the events of the Compilation and not altered its course. You might want to re-read all of 89 Messages and the Original Crisis side stories to have a better idea of how this chapter goes. This is the first of a two-parter or even a three-parter.

**020 - a. Sacrifice**

"_Love is more than a noun – it is a verb; it is more than a feeling – it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing."_

Angeal had found himself feeling completely exhausted by the time he returned home with Persephone. His day had been emotionally and the burly SOLDIER was more than happy to be back in his apartment with his daughter sleeping securely in his arms. Twenty past ten at night; well past the small girl's bed time and Angeal doubted he could get her back up to brush her teeth and wash her face before tucking her in properly. Getting Persephone into her PJ's.'s was going to be a feat in and of itself, but Angeal managed all the same.

The half-Wutai girl mumbled in her sleep as her father dressed her for bed, words he didn't quite catch. Her hands found his shirt and they gripped the fabric tightly. Persephone snuggled close to him, burying her face into his chest. Unable to stop the small ache that filled his chest from the innocent action, Angeal decided that he'd let Persephone sleep in his room - not that he was afraid of suddenly waking up without her in his life and finding out that he had been in some kind of elaborate dream, but because the girl didn't want to let him go. That was what he kept telling himself. He just felt that he needed to be closer to Persephone.

Still murmuring nonsense in her sleep, Persephone was cradled protectively in Angeal's arms as they went to bed together. Stroking her hair, sleep eluded the SOLDIER First for a while as thoughts about his daughter and her true parentage plagued his mind. There was no point in stressing himself over it until he received the paternity test results from Hollander, but Angeal was nothing, if a pathological worrier. Angeal had come to the decision not to tell Sephiroth or Persephone until it was time, but not knowing the real truth made him feel really out of his depth. Angeal had come to never doubt or regret his decisions - he would live with them with his head held high - but the uncertainty of what tomorrow held...

It was a tormenting feeling.

Persephone started whimpering in her sleep. Shushing her gently, Angeal rubbed her back soothingly, whispering to her that everything was going to be fine. She was fine. _He_ was fine.

He hoped.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head and closed his eyes, hoping that morning would come soon...

- ** a**-

_Angeal could not sleep._ He ached all over. It was to be expected, since he had taken quite the pummelling the other day alongside his comrades. But they just kept coming and coming without end, never tiring, never needing to rest. They were monsters; they were _manikins_. They had been _ambushed_ by them.

Like sharks excited by the scent of blood, once the battle began, others joined them until they became overwhelming in numbers, causing the warriors they fought to turn around and run - to regroup, lest their dwindling numbers lessened even more. The group that had gone scouting ahead had already been wiped out and his own team, well, the original group of twenty-five were now only ten and they had been split off from each other because of the latest manikin attack. It would take some time to find their way back to their comrades at Sanctuary.

"Angeal...you awake?"

"Yes, I am, Denzel."

Denzel; he was supposedly from the same world that Angeal was, though they never met. In the younger man's case, he had never even heard of the SOLDIER before, but that was all right. Titles and fame did not matter in the thick of war, only after it and Angeal was stuck in the biggest war of all. Harmony against Discord...Cosmos versus Chaos. A fine and noble cause to be fighting, for sure, though it was lasting...he wasn't certain of the length of time that had passed, but it was _long_.

Angeal and Denzel were together somewhere in the Lunar Subterrane, resting after the events of the other day. The younger man was spry and looking ready to take on more opponents, while Angeal himself looked worse for the wear, since he had been covering the younger gunfighter from the worst of the attacks. He even drew out his precious Buster Sword out for the occasion.

"Sorry for making you use your sword," Denzel stated out of the blue, drawing Angeal out of his reverie. "I heard from the others that it's something important. Like an heirloom or somethin'."

Angeal chuckled softly at that. Slowly, he stood up, using an outcropping of rock to help him stand on his booted feet. His back was stiff as hell, but that was what you get for sleeping on something made of rock. He said, "You're a little bit more important than my sword, Denzel. But only just a bit." To emphasize this, he held his thumb a teeny, tiny distance away from his forefinger - _they were practically touching_.

"_Gee_, thanks," deadpanned Denzel, who frowned as he slung his rifle on his shoulder. The younger soldier grumbled something about 'weird older guys', starting to walk off back towards their base in Order's Sanctuary. Angeal joined him, keeping in step with the young infantryman as they marched back 'home'.

"Say, Denzel...do you have any dreams?" Angeal enquired all of a sudden.

The brunet was caught by surprise at the question, staring up at Angeal with a somewhat slack jawed expression. "Huh?" was his answer.

"Do you have any dreams?" reiterated the dark haired man. "Do you dream of becoming a hero? To protect someone? What drives you to fight? I am...a bit curious, you might say, and would like to get to know you since I am new to this war and you're the most familiar in all of..._this_." He gestured towards the austere scenery around them, which bore some evidence of many battles held before, although not always by the same individuals. Angeal truly was curious about Denzel, because the boy had taken to Angeal quickly after he joined the ranks of Cosmos' warriors and he thought it better to know about his allies and their motivations. In his book, it made for stronger bonds and better trust.

Denzel answered almost immediately. "To save someone very dear."

"Oh? Must be someone really special then."

"I guess you could say that," said Denzel, as they crossed the 'border' and entered the disorienting Planet's Core.

"Girlfriend?" prodded Angeal, who smirked teasingly.

The boy reacted as expected, looking completely scandalized at the older warrior. "An_geal_!"

The SOLDIER First laughed, and then clapped the kid on his back telling him not to get worked up so easily. After allowing the younger man to sputter for a while, they resumed their trek back 'home', doing their best to navigate through the floating isles and debris within the Planet's Core.

It was hard to tell where was up and what was down, since the flow of green energy went anywhere and everywhere. It was never defined and an unwary person could find themselves lost in there. Angeal and Denzel both got turned around more than once within the core trying to get out; it was their least favourite place to be. Seeing as they were going to be stuck in the Lifestream for a while, Denzel decided to strike up some conversation.

"What about you? What are you fighting for, Angeal?"

Angeal paused in his step.

Denzel looked at him inquisitively.

"...Honour...pride...and my _dreams_," came the SOLDIER's answer, at long last. He didn't know why he hesitated in replying, but the answer came longer than it should have. His goals were simple, were they not? Fight against the darkness within this world to bring back the light that was Harmony's and then go home. But go home to what? He felt like he was forgetting something important here. Something vital...

"Sounds grand."

"I suppose."

"Also sounds a lot like something someone I know would say..."

"Hm? That someone you want to save?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I know they've been lost to darkness for a while now, but I know I can save them..."

Before their conversation could go further on the subject of dreams, the two of them were split apart by a flying fireball that crashed at their feet, cracking the floating isle they had been standing on. It crumbled and fell deeper into the Planet's Core. Now Angeal and Denzel were apart on different floating bits of debris, staring up at their attacker. Denzel gasped softly, while Angeal simply stared at their assailant as she floated down, landing gently on another small tract of land not so far away from them.

There was nothing extraordinary about her (especially when you put their mystery attacker beside people like Kefka and Kuja), except for the fact that she carried three swords with her, all different and harnessed carefully behind her upon her waist. She stood at the ready, hand on the hilt of her rapier as she stared them down with mako-blue eyes. Yes, there was no mistaking the telltale glow in them. Not a SOLDIER, but she was definitely from the same world as him and Denzel. And from the gasp the boy had let out earlier (coupled with the woman's intent stare at the boy) he assumed they knew each other.

"And what exactly are you doing here, Denzel?" the woman drawled as she tucked a long lock of black hair behind an ear. "Boys don't belong on the battlefield all alone."

Her voice was cold and devoid of any emotion other than disdain. Though they glowed, the woman's eyes were icy and unforgiving as they bore down Denzel, completely ignoring Angeal's presence. Seemed to him like these two had a _lot_ of history between them.

Denzel bristled, clenching his hands and gritted his teeth. "I'm not just some kid! And I'm _not_ alone."

"So it would seem," replied the mystery attacker as she flipped from dark hair over her shoulder. The woman turned her gaze over to Angeal, taking him in a moment before something that should not have been there flashed in her expression:_ recognition_. She looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it and kept her lips sealed, schooling her expression blank.

"So it has come to this..." she said softly, with a shake of her head. "_Listen up_, Denzel. Fall back, if you know what's good for you. The way ahead will only lead to _despair._"

"Can't do that Commander Redfield. I got a job to do and a promise to keep."

And again, Angeal saw a flicker of something in her face; a turn of her eyes and a flash of regret aimed at both of them. Her stoic air was just that – _airs_. Insubstantial. And then it dawned on the SOLDIER that, perhaps, this woman who attempted to do them harm was the one that Denzel wished to save. The one that had been mired in darkness; a soldier in Chaos' fold.

"You're a fool," was all the warning they got before a flurry of sword strikes came at them simultaneously. No. Energy waves from the simple, focused slash of one of her three blades. The rapier was in use and she was quick with it. Denzel and Angeal dodged just fast enough to avoid becoming mincemeat, speedily moving in separate directions, hoping to force her hand. She couldn't possibly be able to attack the two of them with such a wide distance between all of three of them.

"You're a crazy lady, Commander Redfield!" Denzel had recomposed himself, readying his rifle as he was free-falling towards the centre of the Planet's Core.

Angeal himself was moving upward, higher and higher as the commander in white flew past him, rapier drawn out and ready to take on Denzel and completely ignoring him once more. As is, in the grander scheme of things, his presence did not matter. A memory niggled at the back of his mind, of another time and another place, where two similar people went at it while he was left in the dust, unable to get in between them. And he watched again, as the two engaged below him with flashes of steel and rapidly flying bullets. Angeal wondered what had caused the rift he saw between these two that would cause one of Denzel's (former, it would seem) friends to attack him so viciously. Mind control? Brainwashing? Or, perhaps, that friendship had never been there to begin with? Whatever the reason, he would not allow the boy to face this threat alone. An old friendship or no, he and the young soldier were comrades now and he would have his back!

Drawing his broadsword, he came at Redfield – some friend, they weren't even on a first name basis, mused the burly SOLDIER as he bore down on the woman. To her credit, she saw him coming and dodged the attack, jumping from floating stone to floating stone looking fay as she moved away. No hurried retreat; they posed no real threat to her. The way she turned to coolly looked at them – long dark hair floating around her form as her white long coat billowed about – was perplexing and infuriating, in respective turns to her opponents.

Denzel had no problem unleashing a hail of bullets upon the woman he wished to save.

Or maybe Angeal had been reading their entire relationship wrong...

On top of this, as lethal and impressive as her attacks looked, none of them connected. Scared, shocked and blown them away, yes. But it was just a show. A phantom menace. A mental war game? Looking to Denzel, he was reloading, taking the threat of Redfield's presence seriously. Casting a glance back up at the woman coming at them again and her blank expression, Angeal didn't know what to think. So he didn't and just acted.

He got in between them.

Redfield's rapier had hit the juncture of the hand guard and the hilt of the Buster Sword, the metal making a rather unpleasant scrapping sound as they met and rubbed. Before the man, was his plain broadsword, in the blade reflected Denzel's astonished face.

"This is twice now," Angeal grunted out. Pulling the Buster Sword out of its magnetic harness, the weapon swung up behind himself to shove the Chaos warrior away. She flew off as anticipated, allowing the younger man time to finally reload his assault rifle for another round. "Mind telling me her problem with you?" It'd be nice to be not out of the loop in such potentially dangerous situations. As it was, she seemed to be just playing or herding them somewhere, but the tide of battle could be turned quickly.

Denzel let loose a spray of bullets at Redfield who dipped and ducked with great grace, the red hot hailing pieces of metal really only penetrating her white long coat.

"All you need to know –" The two of them moved in tandem as they surrounded her on both sides, making her dance as she gave back as good as she got. "– is that the lady and I have loads of unfinished business and I promised I'd save her."

Upon hearing what was spoken of her, Redfield's emotions finally came out into the fray, displaying themselves clearly upon her normally blank countenance. "I don't need saving from the likes of you!" were the words cried out. And Angeal was struck by how pained each word sounded.

What a confusing person she was! And here Angeal thought he had brothers in arms who were confounding.

Brothers in arms...?

_A boy who sullenly stared back at him in the darkness of a mine shaft, trapped with him on a ledge-_

_-a teen who didn't smile and who acted so awkwardly towards him and his childhood friend-_

_-sitting on a facsimile of a cannon created in virtual space, listening to the recitation of an unfinished epic poem, all three of them..._

An explosion occurred in the Planet's Core. Denzel had tossed up a grenade, but had fumbled with the device and it went off too close to the large chunk of rocky platform they were now on. Close to Redfield and near to the two of them. They were all caught in the blast, friend and foe alike, the explosion stronger than it should have been under these conditions. Denzel flew off who knew where and Angeal had been slammed right into the female Chaos warrior in their midst. His broadsword had snapped in half from the initial bang, a single piece flying when he hadn't been paying attention.

The scream he heard when broken metal sliced through cloth and flesh did catch his attention, however, if only momentarily.

He had crashed into Redfield after all and they were flung fast and far, together.

**Author's Note Part 2: **_TO BE CONTINUED_


End file.
